A Question of Mixture Part II –What are we chasing?

From the Archives.

A great deal of the writing that the Lord has allowed me to do in these articles is a result of revelation that has come through dreams and visions. I have had these ever since I was a small child and have thought that everyone experienced them to the same degree. I now realize that is not true. When the Lord said to Aaron and Miriam:

Num 12:6 KJV

6 And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.

He was seeking to make a point about “revelation”. He went on to say that His servant Moses had a higher “revelation” than dreams and visions.

Num 12:7-8 KJV

7 My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.

8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?
The ultimate goal of the Lord is to be able to speak to us “face to face”, and that should be our goal as well. Still, we have much to learn through the ministry of dreams and visions.

I often tell others a of a very important truth regarding supernatural manifestations that the Lord gives us, and this is what I say, “Do not seek after a supernatural guidance with the Lord because, the clearer the “revelation” the more accountable we become to obedience, and that the Lord gives us these experiences because we are going to need them!” By that I mean, the battle is going to become so intense that we will need very clear and precise words to move through to victory.

Nevertheless we need and must have “revelation”. The Church has always moved forward through “the spirit of revelation”.

Rev 19:10 KJV

…worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

And:

Matt 16:17-18 KJV

17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

It is through ever increasing knowledge of who Jesus Christ is that the Church becomes triumphant. And I tell you this: only “revelation” can help us to “see Jesus”. The Holy Spirit is now revealing to the Church the absolute necessity to be “without mixture” in these last days. He will no longer accept the mixed ministry that is now being offered Him through His Church. Purity always precedes power and He is purifying His bride to be without spot or wrinkle or any such thing.

I would now like us to take a look together at a dream the Lord gave me some time ago that speaks to the present situation the Church finds itself in, and what we must do to change it.

The dream begins with me watching – A full grown dog and four puppies are chasing a cat. The puppies are having a great time following the mature dog . They are barking and running, their little tongues are hanging out and they are having a great time running behind the full grown dog. They eventually catch up to the cat, but instead of it being a cat it is a “skunk”, and it sprays all over them. I walk over, pick up two of the puppies, and, somehow I know that they represent the “prophets and apostles” and that it is my job to clean them up.

I have written some on this revelation yet, the Lord asked me another question that has clarified what needs to be further addressed and what speaks of “a question of mixture”. The Lord asked these two questions: “Why were the puppies chasing a skunk?” And, “Why did the mature dog not know the difference?”

One of the first notes of clarification that we must make here is that I somehow knew that these four puppies and the mature dog represented the “five-fold ministry” of Ephesians 4. Now, let’s begin to examine this portion of the dream based on the questions the Lord asked.

1. Who is the mature dog? The mature dog represents those who the young ministers are looking to to train and guide them. Young animals learn what to eat and what not to eat by watching their mothers and fathers. They learn what to chase and what not to chase as well, from “grown-ups”.

Can you see the serious implications from this simple dream? If those who are training our young ministers are chasing the wrong thing, the “puppies” will grow up imitating them. Because we are pursuing the wrong things, we now have a stench that causes those we are called to reach to want nothing to do with us. Many of the present day ministers have not only a poor reputation in the world, but a stinking one.

2. The second question we ask is, “Why doesn’t the grown up dog know the difference?”
The answer to this is even more frightening. He doesn’t know, because he was taught to “chase the wrong thing”. We are now at least two generations down the road from knowing what the Lord values. This is exactly what the Lord said would happen to the end-time Church.

Rev 3:16-18 NIV

I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.

If the Lord Himself is sick of us, can we blame the world for wanting nothing to do with our self-seeking and extravagant religion?

Still, there is great hope. The Lord would not be speaking to us with such clarity if He were not about to do something wonderful to cleanse us from our “stench”. He said as many as I love I chasten.

Rev 3:19-20 KJV

19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Deut 8:5 KJV

5 Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee.

2 Sam 7:14 KJV

14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:

This last verse says, He will use “the world to chasten us”. Surely that is where we are.

Dear ones, we have a very delicate task before us. We must acknowledge that our “spiritual fathers” have taught us to pursue the wrong thing. And yet, at the same time we must honor the good things they have accomplished and taught us. We cannot throw the baby out with the wash as the old saying goes.

Somehow our spiritual fathers have tried to dress in linen and wool at the same time. They have had some very carnal goals and have flowed in some great anointing at the same time. Because these anointings have brought them into wealth, fame and success, we have been blinded to the “mixture”, and very few are able to discern the difference.

The present day Church is now being called into the Holy of Holies where no mixture is allowed. God is raising up a “priesthood” that will be without “mixture”. This will result in a bride without, “spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing”. The three things the Lord calls us too, are the following:

I counsel thee to buy of me
(1) gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and
(2) white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and
(3) anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
Rev 3:18 (KJV)

We are being called to ask the Lord for His fire to burn the dross out of our lives. To burn every carnal goal we have been seeking from our heart. To repent for wanting to be well known and travel having others clamor after our gift and anointing. What kind of fire will it take to burn out the mixture of wanting to impress men and have the approval of the Lord at the same time?

I am looking forward to hearing what kind of mixture you might see in your own heart and the Church that the Lord will no longer accept – please respond with your insights.

Prayer – Oh, Lord, You have told us to “buy gold tried in the fire”. Please send the kind of fire that will expose the dross of my heart. Uncover and burn out whatever mixture you find. Please help me not to draw back from the fire until your work of purification is finished, and until you have a generation without mixture. I repent of goals that have a mixture of selfish-ambition and holy zeal for the Lord. Please, Lord, do not cease to let the fire burn because I cry from the heat. I truly want the purity that only You can produce in me and the Church.

MORE TO FOLLOW –
Dear ones – it is crucial that the word of the Lord get to as many as He desires. If you know of someone who will profit from these writings please direct them to our blog: onemillionvoices. May the Lord raise up His “One Million Voices”.

Read Full Post »

WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE

          When the Apostle Peter was inspired by the Holy Spirit to quote from the book of Joel as he was explaining the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to those gathered in Jerusalem, I am sure he did not understand the full implications of what he was saying. How could he? Truth from the Lord is an ever-expanding revelation of who Jesus is. For my part I never dreamed that this truth would have such joyous and exciting implications.

Acts 2:17-18

And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: 

   

For those who have never experienced the Baptism of the Holy Spirit it will be difficult to grasp what I am writing. Nevertheless, may the Lord grant His precious anointing in such a way that many will be hungry for what is revealed in the above passage. For those of you who have received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and know the great power and joy that results in praying in the heavenly language as well as the power to be a better witness, I want to share with you something the Lord said to me about Acts 2:17-19. As so often is the case when the Lord wants to teach us, He does so by asking  a question first. As someone once said, “When the Lord asks a question He is not looking for information.” No, He is seeking to lead us into a discovery that will not only enlighten but empower also.

As many of you know the years around 1906 and following, ushered in a truth that has literally transformed the Church. In Azusa, California, and Shear Creek, North Carolina, as well in parts of Europe, God’s people began to experience a phenomenon that they did not know or understand. As they waited patiently on the Lord, they began to speak in languages that they did not know. As a result, they broke up into little groups to study the scriptures to see if what they had experienced was in the Bible. Soon they came to Acts, chapter 2, and there they discovered what the 120 in the upper room had experienced as they obeyed the Lord and waited for the promise given by the Lord Jesus. This promise was sent back to the earth as an evidence that Jesus had returned to heaven and sat down at the right hand of the Father.

Today there are approximately 600 million believers who have received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. Yet, many of these same Pentecostal believers are missing two of the most important parts of the promise given concerning the fullness of the spirit. Now, back to the question the Lord asked me concerning the Apostle Peter’s inspired words when he quoted from Joel. The Lord asked this question, “Why doesn’t Peter talk about speaking in other tongues as he uses the passage from Joel as evidence of what has just taken place?” As I meditated on this question the Holy Spirit gave me a little phrase that has helped me immensely. The phrase was this, “The second half of Pentecost.” He went on to explain that many Pentecostal believers had received the first half of Pentecost that is the “speaking with other tongues”, but few had received the understanding of the call to Prophesy and to receive dreams and visions.

I don’t know about you, but I want all that the Lord has for me. I have learned that anything the Lord has for us is valuable beyond comprehension, and although I have experienced the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit, I desired with all my heart to walk in what He called “the second half of Pentecost”. Since that time, the Lord has graced me with a deep understanding of what it means to prophesy for him as well as to be taught through the ministry of dreams and visions.

Just as the Apostle Peter needed a vision to break his religious strongholds regarding the Lord’s desire to bless and reach the gentiles, I, too have found that I  needed the ministry of dreams and visions to destroy and tear down the false doctrine and teaching that comes as a result of a religious stronghold. I have such a love for dreams, visions, and prophesying that I cannot imagine living without these blessed truths as part of my everyday life. Truly, my life and ministry has been transformed by walking in the fullness of all that Acts chapter two has taught me.

Still, the greatest dream I have ever received has not been the result of the action of the gifts of the Holy Spirit on my life, but rather in the joy of beholding the work of the Holy Spirit through my children. My sons and daughters are all grown now with children of their own. They have all labored with me through the years in the ministry the Lord has called us to and all of those years have been like the warmth of the sun on my life. I am now in the twilight years of my calling and yet I am so proud of all my children and grateful for their love for the Lord. Below you will find an article my oldest son wrote. Over the years he has heard my life story many times over. It is a story of both tragedy and joy, of dark nights and long bouts with depression, yet ends in great victory. As a result, he sat down and wrote the following. This has become one of my greatest treasures and the fulfillment of my most important dreams.

I trust you will be moved by the measure of insight and tenderness found in its passages. My greatest dream has come true.

          A little boy runs the streets tonight, the city lights guide his path as tiny feet run here and there. Scaling this and scaling that, he is soon running the rooftops high above. What is right and what is wrong is a vague memory now as he leaps from roof to roof, his heart beats fast, what an amazing time he is having. Free from the pains and cares at home, out here nothing hurts, and he feels so alive. His confidence is soaring as he leaps again, but this time the span is too great, a flash of panic floods his face, as gravity begins its unforgiving law. Suddenly, like lighting, a strong hand flashes out and grasps his hand and saves him from a life-ending fall. Their eyes lock as a little boy dangles in the air; a hero, an older brother yanks him back from the abyss. A quiet understanding falls between them this night as they seek for something more, something that is lost, no, not something they can grasp for now, but a void, an emptiness, still the same. So, as tired and weary eyes bring his night to a close, a little life has been spared. And though he knows it not, an angel of mercy sleeps with him tonight. The years pound on and on, shuffled from home to home, house to house. A fragile mom does what she can do for her boy. But her demons are larger than she can bear, strong drink and the unspeakable becomes a way of life, and much of what a little boy sees should not be. She tries, but there are other mouths to feed as well. Hit and miss love soon brings what can be called a family into utter chaos. Shattered and scattered hopes and promises are a way of life. A little boy grows into a young man. And that which is lost is still missing. A young man’s mind begins to search for answers, there has to be something more than what is right and what is wrong. Waves of up and down emotions crash over his breaking heart, Adrift in life it is too difficult for a young man to face, depression drives deeper into his soul.  And though he knows it not, a angel of mercy loves him tonight. Life is not all bad though, a loving grandmother is there in his youth, and a beautiful young woman in high school named Jane, begins to bring new life to a troubled young man. She in many ways is a physical manifestation of an angel of mercy to his life. Filling voids and gaps, love begins to blossom, and soon the two become one. A job, a car, and a home, yes, very nice, and even  two little ones to call his own. The young man on the outside is looking pretty good. But that which is lost still can not be found, so desperately does he search, but alas, still in vain. And the depression of his past begins again to its overpowering place. And though he knows it not, an Angel wars for him this tonight. A hard and tragic life has caught up with his mother, her body broken and fading fast lies in a hospital room tonight and though mom is barely there, something is different about her. A settling peace, a quiet in her soul, is evident. Mom has found what her family has been looking for, longing for so long. A sense of purpose and belonging that has not been, is finally there.  And as a brother’s hand reaches out again like so many years ago to save his life, their hands grasp, their eyes lock, and a brother speaks the words that bring salvation to a young man’s life. There in a hospital room, the boy that was so lost is now a man that is found.  Then, as a warmth and a soft presence fills the room, angels of mercy and deliverance wrap mom in their loving arms and bear her home. And though he knows it not, an angel of assurance and divine love stands with him tonight.    Hope, forgiveness, and love floods his soul; his feet set anew, a man is changed. His marriage cemented in this new truth, a family begins to blossom. Where once there was chaos, love prevails. As mercy and and faith fills the home, a calling on his life emerges. And though they sell all for the call, a harvest of love and faith are ever present wherever there home may be. They are blessed with two more beautiful children as they labor in love for their Savior. Truly the Lord is good. Many years have passed, this man and wife have reached out their hands also and have saved many from the abyss, and know they truly know a strong and mighty angel stands with them tonight. So as I sit in my chair tonight and finish this true tale of mercy, I am overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit and his love for for my life; for I am an offspring of this mighty man and woman of God. This  is my heritage and my inheritance. And yes, I know now that a mighty angel of mercy has been assigned to me tonight

          Indeed, very few fathers will ever know the joy of having a son who will so well know and understand the forces that formed their father’s life. Fewer still will have a son who can express it with such beautiful words. I have the blessing of both. My dream has come true.

MORE TO FOLLOW

Apostle Robert Rogers

Read Full Post »

THE SWEET FRUIT OF VICTORY

As I meditated on the invitation to pass through these golden doors and to walk down the transparent golden road that lay ahead; I knew that this was but another revelation of the truth that Jesus called all of His children to; the truth to “abide in Him”.

John 15:1-12

1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. 9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. 11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.(emphasis mine)

As my heart leapt over the truth being freshly revealed to my hear, I began to hear the Lord teaching me the Wisdom I have so longed to receive. His words seemed to float up from deep within my spirit saying, “Son, the beauty of dreams and visions is that they can convey truth in a way that brings greater clarity to my Word as well as providing a window through which my children can better understand themselves. Through the ministry of dreams and vision I am able to display pictures of truth that are specific to each individual. The images that are seen in dreams and visions have a different meaning to each child of God. Through dreams and visions I am able to communicate to my child in their own language. Every child of God speaks a language of vision that is unique only to them. It is like a secret code I have with each of my children. That is why when you communicate some of the dreams and visions I give to you they have very little to teach my sons and daughters. For that vision or dream is only for you. Many have misinterpreted their dreams and visions because they have failed to understand this truth. It is now time for my Wisdom to teach you how to know the difference. Yet, because I am God I can also speak in a way through dreams and visions that all of my children can benefit from them. Those are the kind that are revealed in my Word.”

I continued to meditate of the road of transparent gold and somehow knew in my spirit that this road was simply Jesus Christ Himself. Once again my heart rejoiced to think of the roads in heaven that were of transparent gold. I knew that each of these roads in Heaven were but ever increasing revelation of Jesus Christ. “How marvelous is the Wisdom of our God!”, I exclaimed. “How unsearchable are His riches!” I also knew that to travel this road in this life was to live a life of transparency. Such a life has nothing to hide or to cover up. As a result it is impossible for fear to grip a believer who has the courage to walk this transparent path. My mind went immediately to the garden of Eden where the first impulse of Adam and Eve after they had sinned was to cover up and hide. I knew then that all of us in some way have been trying cover up things and to hide from one another and from the searching eyes of the Lord.

Somehow I knew the call to transparency was a call to true freedom. This path would truly lead to the deliverance from the “fear of man”. I knew that the Fear of the Lord was the beginning of Wisdom and that this transparent golden road was called the Road of Wisdom. Each step down this road would deliver me from my fears only to the degree that I walked in the Fear of the Lord. How pleasant this path is and how delightful to meditate on it. As I walked with the Lord He began to talk with me once again about how the game of chess could parallel the truth that He wanted me to understand. He went on to say, “The game of chess can be compared to my ways of evangelism. The goal of the game of chess is to capture the opposing chess pieces for the King. Truly, many lost souls are but pawns in the hands of the enemy called Satan. Yet, there are others who are priests in his army as well as knights who are greatly admired and envied for their beauty and power while others are castles or strongholds. Still others represent the head of the deceptive forces of darkness; these are the kings and queens of the lost. Son, I have a strategy for winning all who are captured by the enemy and used by him at his will. As you walk with me down this golden path I will reveal my end time strategy for winning the lost to my Kingdom no matter what position they hold in the Kingdom of Darkness.”

As I continued to walk down the golden road, the Lord continued to speak to me and give this invitation to all who would join us on this beautiful journey. He said, “Tell all who will listen that I will grant those who will walk with us an ever-increasing measure of four parts of My Nature. They are: My Heart, My Wisdom, My Authority, and My Power. Tell them My children will need all that I impart of these parts of My Nature for the work that lies ahead. We are entering into some of the most challenging hours of man’s history on this earth. The darkness is seeking to increase at an exponential rate, but I have long been prepared for every device the enemy has planned. Remember My Word found in the book of Isaiah that reads:

Isaiah 60:1-7

1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. 2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His Glory shall be seen upon thee. 3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. 4 Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. 5 Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee. 6 The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord. 7 All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of My Glory.

The Lord went on to say, “Son, this is the hour to draw near to Me as never before. To walk with Me so close you can feel my heart beat and feel the breath of My Being. I want to raise up the End Time Army of My Saints to do the exploits that I spoke of in My Word. Son, I charge you to get this Word to all who will listen. I will open doors for this message to go through but you must be faithful to all that I give you and charge all those who are working with you to apply themselves as never before.”

I then felt the heavy mantle of anointing and responsibility rest on my shoulders. I also knew that those whom the Lord had called to help me with this message would also feel the weight of this call and respond accordingly. Are you one of them?

MORE TO FOLLOW

Apostle Robert Rogers

Read Full Post »

The Next Move of God and Dreams and Visions

We have seen a move of God coming that is so vast and powerful that nothing on this earth or in the kingdom of darkness can stop it. It is a wave so powerful it will sweep away the traditions of men that have stolen the power and authority of God’s Word. Words alone will fail us at this juncture if they are not joined with the Spirit of Revelation. What we need desperately is the ability to know the difference between our thoughts, ideas, opinions, and reasonings and the revelation knowledge that comes from the Lord. I propose that it is through the wonderful spiritual gift of dreams and visions that unlocks the life-giving power of God’s Word that will deliver us from the deadly influence of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Joel 2:17-19

And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: 19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above,

Oh, the blessed wisdom of God. Some years ago I was sent to a seminary and commanded of the Lord to ask the students a question. It was truly a supernatural door the Lord opened in order to teach at this prestigious school. The question I was commanded of the Lord to ask the students was this, “Why did the Lord say that in the last days He would pour out His spirit on all flesh? Your old men would dream dreams and your young men would see visions, and your sons and daughters will prophesy. Why did He not say in the middle ages or some other time in Church history?”

17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:

I will never forget the eyes of the young man who sought to answer that question. The Lord had showed me in a dream before I got to the seminary that a bald red-faced man would challenge me when I asked the question and I was to answer him like this, “I did not come here to debate Theology, I came here to say, “Thus sayeth the Lord!” ‘ After this encounter with the bald, red-faced man and his humiliation and defeat – “for he was under a powerful “religious spirit” when he challenged me. The power of the Lord fell in that room. This is when the young man asked if he could answer the question. As I looked at him and acknowledged his desire he said, “Could it be that the Lord said that it would be in the last days that we would see dreams and visions and prophesy because it would be in the last days that we would need them?” The young man was exactly right. But the question is why do those of us who are living in the last days need the restoration of dreams and visions so badly?

The answer to that question is found in the challenge I received from the bald, red-faced man. The seminary I was preaching in was part of one of our leading pentecostal movement educational systems. This movement was born in the fire of renewal and revival but like so many such movements has found itself under the strong grip of the religious spirit under-girded by the spirit of pride and intimidation. The great danger of knowledge is that it has the hidden leaven that puffs up. How strange that something that the Lord had meant for blessing and strength could become such a stumbling block. For if we search the scriptures concerning knowledge we will find that it is spoken of very favorably throughout the word of God. Take for instance the following scriptures.

Proverbs 2:3-5

3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; 4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.

Indeed, there are scores and scores of such scriptures throughout the Word of God regarding the blessing of seeking after knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. Where then is the problem? Is it not found in the very first book of the Bible and does it not revolve around Satan’s promise?

Gen. 3:4-7

And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7 And the eyes of them both were opened,

So then we find there are two kinds of knowledge available to the one who is pursuing the Lord. One comes from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and the other comes from what is known as Revelation Knowledge.

Revelation knowledge cannot be gained from study alone but includes a great deal of “waiting on God.” Indeed we need both. That is we need the knowledge that the Word of God tells us to pursue with earnestness and yet there is a knowledge that is deadly to the things of God.

“Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.”

Yet, like so many things that get messed up it is because of the order we put them in. In most schools it is academics that is worshiped, not revelation. We can gain academics without waiting on God, but we cannot gain revelation knowledge without quietly waiting on the Lord in His presence.

One writer put it like this. –

Prophetic ministry is not something that you can take up. It is something that you are. No academy can make you a prophet. Samuel instituted the schools of the prophets. They were for two purposes – one, the dissemination of religious knowledge, and the other, the writing up of the chronicles of religious history. In Samuel’s day there was no open vision; the people had lost the Word of God. They had to be taught the Word of God again, and the chronicles of the ways of God had to be written up and put on record for future generations, and the schools of the prophets were instituted in the main for that purpose. But there is a great deal of difference between those academic prophets and the living, anointed prophets. The academic prophets became members of a profession and swiftlydegenerated into something unworthy. All the false prophets came from schools of prophets, and were accepted publicly on that ground. They had been to college and were accepted. But they were false prophets. Going to a religious college does not of itself make you a prophet of God.

(emphasis mine)

Well, where then do dreams and visions fit into all of this? One of the great powers of dreams and visions that come from the Lord is that they have the ability to reveal and pull down religious strongholds that seek to keep the Lord’s message from going to those He desires it to. Take, for instance, the Apostle Peter as he sits and waits upon the Lord on the roof top. Here is an Apostle of the Lord who has spent a great deal of time with Jesus himself. He is hungry for the Lord. He desires to obey the Lord but he has been powerfully deceived by the religious spirit of his Jewish heritage. The Lord must send him a vision in order for him to find deliverance and freedom.

Acts 10:9-15

Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: 10 And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, 11 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: 12 Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. 13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. 14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean. 15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.

 

Some time ago I was seeking the Lord and asking the question, “Why do we know so little of the power of the Lord in our lives and in our Churches?” As a result of this prayer I was given the revelation that is to follow. I have found the most important elements in hearing from the Lord are humility, child-like faith, humility that includes a willingness to allow the Holy Spirit to challenge all that we have come to believe.

Vision- I heard the Lord come to my heart’s door. As I opened it I saw Him standing there with a wooden bucket full of crystal clear water. He came and placed the bucket on my table. He then reached in and began to pull some things out. First, He pulled out some crabs and placed them into my hands. Next, He reached in and began to pull out handfuls and handfuls of zebra mussels and place them in my hands. I wondered what I was supposed to do with them and then decided the Lord wanted me to throw them away.

The vision ended with me throwing them away.The next day I sat before the Lord and the scene picked up where it had left off the day before, except this time I had a sword in my hand. I decided to thrust the sword into the bucket of crystal clear water and much to my disappointment it only went in a few inches before it struck something solid. I was greatly disappointed that I could not put my sword any deeper into the bucket of water. As a result I became forceful and drew my sword back and struck the obstruction with all of my might. Much to my delight the sword broke through and began to descend deeper and deeper into the bucket. It was going down hundreds of feet per second and all of the time picking up more and more speed when suddenly it came to an abrupt halt. As I looked at what stopped the sword I was so shocked I nearly fell down. The sword had penetrated the heart of the Lord – and then I hear the Lord say, “Leave your sword of the spirit in my heart until it beats with my heart and then pull it out and go forth in my mighty power declaring my heart.”

As I sought the Lord for the interpretation of the first part of the vision, I realized that the zebra mussels were hindering my ability to go deeply into the depths of God’s Word and ultimately in touching His heart. After much research and prayer the Holy Spirit began to unfold the interpretation. He began to teach me that the zebra mussels were the ideas, thoughts, reasonings’, and opinions that filtered out the Word of God until there was no power left. The water was crystal clear but had no life in it as a result of the over-filtering of the zebra mussels. I then thought of the following verse.

Matt. 7:13

Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

 

In our next writing we will discuss how we can tell the difference between our opinions, ideas, thoughts and reasonings that rob the Word of God from its intended power and God’s divine thoughts. But for now, let us begin with this, we must learn to mistrust our “opinions, thoughts and reasonings. Are you ready for the next move of God?

MORE TO FOLLOW

Apostle Robert Rogers

To read more about the next move of God contact Mike or Penny to obtain a copy of  the book “The Coming Glory of the Church: And the next Move of God”

oakcrestcog@msn.com

231 773 1220

or send a check for $14. to

FMC

Attn: Penny

1540 Leonard Ave.

Muskegon, MI. 49442

Read Full Post »

The Two Most Important Revelations I have Received

            INTRO. The Lord has graced me with many wonderful revelations. Each one, when properly examined  and tried by the Word of God have blessed me and others beyond my ability to express. Yet, there are two revelations that I know that have such power and depth that no matter how long I meditate, worship, and study I will never exhaust their power to bless and  reveal. The reason for that is that they are both about the Lord himself. The first revelation was an invitation to know His heart and the second was an invitation to know His power, authority, and wisdom.  In truth, these words from the Lord have been an invitation to experience the Baptism of Love that we have prayed for and preached and taught for the last ten years. For the longest time I thought that the Baptism of Love would be the final  experience that will bring the Church into its full maturity. Yet, I have come to know that we cannot know the Lord in the fullness of His love without knowing Him in the fullness of His power, wisdom, and authority. When these two revelations are grasped and walked out, the Church will begin to usher in the last great move of God and will gather the wonderful end-time harvest.

            I am not sure when I first learned about the three baptisms as foreshadowed in the Old Testament Tabernacle, but I can still remember the extreme joy and excitement  I experienced as these truths unfolded. The outer court of the Tabernacle, representing “Water Baptism”, the inner court, representing “Holy Spirit Baptism” and what we have yet to experience corporately, the Holy of Holies call to “the Baptism of Love”. Each of the previous  truths when restored to the Church have brought world wide revival. Oh! the joy and blessing that results when the Lord restores a truth that sweeps each continent. Ever growing with both power and speed as it empowers and conquers our hearts. Most who are reading these pages have experienced to some degree the Holy Spirit Baptism with its accompanying power and joy. Jesus said it best with these words.

Acts 1:8

8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

            Indeed, when the Holy Spirit began to be poured out in great measure at the turn of the 20th century, a true world wide move of God was introduced into the earth. The power of that truth is still transforming nations. Yet, in spite of all of this, many would agree that the Church must experience a fresh and powerful motivational truth that will move us to use the glorious anointing in far greater measure than we are presently walking in. The truth is that even the great pentecostal denominations and movements that resulted in the restoration of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit have become so bogged down with the machinery of ministry that any real power to fulfill their calling and destiny is lost in the ecclesiastical tradition. A few years back I was attending the installation of the man who would lead the second largest pentecostal denomination in the world and the Lord gave me this dream the night before he was sworn in.

IN THE DREAM – I saw this man of short stature drop below the surface of the earth to what looked like a vast factory of gears, wheels, and machinery. As he was dropped into this factory, he could see that it reached to such vast proportions that it touched nearly every nation of the world. As his feet hit the floor, he became aware that the giant gears and wheels were slowly grinding to a halt. He then put his shoulder to one of the great gears (the gears were truly massive) and he pushed  with all of his strength. As a result, the main gear that his shoulder was against began to move. Since this gear was attached to all of the other machinery the rest began to move a little faster also. Yet, there was a strange thing happening. Where this great leader was using all of his strength to keep the machinery moving, the result was the further away each gear, wheel, and machine was from him therewas an ever-increasing crashing  and jarring shock. The result was that by the time his Herculean efforts were absorbed down the line a violent chain reaction was creating great damage to the rest of the machinery.

Where the leader worked, it seemed like a smooth operation and his efforts had kept this great machine from totally stopping. He had no way of knowing what was going on down the line, because where he was the gears and wheels were tightly meshed together. Yet, in reality the whole process was shaking so violently it looked like it would not survive.

            In truth this denomination was using almost all of the oil and grease it produced just to keep its own machinery running and there was very little left to produce a product that could bless the world. Yet, this is not only characteristic of many movements and denominations, but also of many churches and most Christian lives. As I was meditating on these things, I felt the Lord say to me, “The Church has had two thousand years to mix its traditions, ideas, reasonings, and plans into my pure purpose, and like Abraham has produced countless Ishmaels that are taking all their energy, time, and money to preserve.” I have come to call “Ishmaels” the seemingly good ideas we have introduced to accomplish the Lord’s purposes. Dear ones, good ideas are killing the vitality of the Church. We are not called to minister or serve because of good ideas, we are called to be supernaturally empowered to do the work of the Lord. Many building programs and ministry ideas that were birthed by the Holy Spirit were implemented and funded by Ishmael ideas. The result is always that more pressure and manipulation are employed to keep things moving. Indeed, the pressure and manipulation are now so great the Church is groaning under the weight.

Matthew 15:6 KJV

Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.

            If you find that most of your Christian energy and prayers are being used to try to keep something running perhaps we need to ask ourselves if these are not the result of a good idea that ended up being an Ishmael. Isn’t it interesting that the descendants of Ishmael now control most of the oil industry, and we are having to invest ever increasing measures or resources to keep our machines running? In truth the Church was never meant to run on this kind of oil but rather the pure oil of the Holy Spirit anointing. This Oil costs us nothing in terms of money, but everything in terms of love and commitment. Dear one, there is no shortage of this Holy Spirit Oil and it flows to all and in all who know its value and are willing to wait on its outpouring.

Isaiah 55:1-2

1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not?

            One of the most powerful purposes the Lord has for giving dreams and visions to His church in the last days is to deliver us from our religious thinking. The Apostle Peter had found that he was seriously handicapped by religious thinking when he went on top of his house to pray and fast. His heart was right but his head was wrong. The Lord wanted to communicate that His grace was to be extended to the Gentiles but Peter was unable to clear his mind of the false filters the Jewish traditions had trapped him in. The Lord therefore sent him a vision to break the “stronghold” that Satan had on this great man of God. You may think that the word “stronghold” is too strong a word to use for the place Peter found himself in. Yet, let us remember it had not been too long since the Lord had to say to this great Apostle.

 Matthew 16:22

 22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. 23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

            As pure as the Apostle’s heart was, his thinking was wrong. If religious thinking and prejudice could create a stronghold in this great man of God, could it not hide one in us? Is it possible that our hearts are pure but our thinking is hindering the work of God? Following you will see a revelation that the Lord granted me that has begun to profoundly change my life and ministry. As a result of this vision, I have become very suspicious of some of the thoughts I have allowed and especially of so-called good ideas. Here is the first revelation

    THE FALSE FILTERS – In this vision I was experiencing Rev. 3:20 – I went over and opened the door to my heart and I saw the Lord standing there with an old wooden bucket in His hand. He came over and placed the bucket on my table. I looked into the bucket and it had was filled with crystal clear water that reached within two or three inches from the top. The Lord then put His hands into the bucket and scooped out tens of thousands of Zebra mussels and put them into my hands. I wondered what I should do with them and then I thought if the Lord was removing them from my bucket they must be worthless and so I discarded them. The Lord smiled and then began to dip His hands into the bucket and withdrew them many times. Each time His hands were filled with these Zebra mussels and each time I would discard them. This vision ended and the next day a second vision picked up where that one left off. Again the Lord came in and placed the bucket of pure water on the table – before I share more on this second vision let’s examine the first one.

            I don’t know if you know what a Zebra mussel is, but I live in Michigan and they have become an enormous problem here. They block the intake valves that our fresh water system draws out of the Great Lakes. I have found that the Lord often gives a Revelation that requires me not only to wait on Him for the revelation but also for me to do research to figure out. There is a great verse that all who God gives revelation in dreams and visions to should fully know and understand. Here it is –

Proverbs 25:2

2 It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.

            As I searched out the what the meaning of the Zebra mussels were in the vision, I found understanding being released deep into my being. Zebra mussels were introduced into Lake Michigan through the discharge of ballast water of foreign ships and since they have no natural predators in Lake Michigan they have bred at such an astonishing rate they are creating havoc throughout the Lake Michigan ecosystem. Yet, you would  probably never guess why. The fact that they have no natural predators and therefore multiply at a dangerous rate is not the only problem. Zebra mussels filter water to such an extent that all of the nutrients in the water are lost. This super purified water cannot support the life that the fish need to exist. If left unchecked this can create a sterile lake.

            As I sought the Lord about this vision He began to tell me that many of our so-called good thoughts, ideas, and reasonings have so filtered His Word that the power and life have been taken out of His Word. We all know that negative, critical, and judgmental thinking does great damage to the Kingdom but how many of us have thought that many of our ideas and reasonings are doing far more damage? They are doing so because we do not know how to examine the difference between good ideas and Spirit-led truth. In truth we are partaking of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The result of the partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is that we far too often offer our opinions, ideas, and reasonings without knowing we are suggesting that others eat of the tree of the same tree. Do you know the difference?

MORE TO FOLLOW………….

Apostle Robert Rogers

Read Full Post »

The Coming Lion – Part X

THE DANGEROUS PART OF REVELATION

When Jesus spoke to Peter the following words, He gave the key to the future of the Church. To the degree we have believed and practiced what Jesus said the Church has prospered.

Mat 16:17  And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

The key word in this passage is “revealed”. It literally means to take the lid off.

G601
apokaluptō
ap-ok-al-oop’-to
to take off the cover, that is, disclose: – reveal.

To the degree that we have received and implemented revelation is indeed the measure in which the Church has prospered. To the degree we have honored scholarship above revelation is the measure to which we have stagnated. Yet this process has ever been the bane of the church. Every great movement or denomination was birthed when the Lord “took the cover off” some vital and powerful truth. Consider the Reformation and Martin Luther when the Lord drew his attention to the simple truth “the just shall live by faith”. Or let us remember the unprecedented results of this passage.

Acts 2:4  And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Truly, the world is still being shaken by this “Pentecostal Truth”. Pentecostals continue to remain the fastest growing segment of Christianity. Still, the Pentecostal movement is beginning to take the path of every other great move of God; that is, to honor scholarship above revelation. Even now we see the seeds of stagnation engulfing in ever greater measure of this wonderful movement.

How are we going to avoid this deadly trap? As greatly as I love revelation and the world of dreams and visions, I also see one of the great dangers of those who value the truth that the Church is built on the “spirit of revelation”.

Rev 19:10
worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

The failure to recognize this danger has caused many in the “scholarship camp” to drift away from any credence and momentum the “spirit of revelation” truth has gained. As I see it the greatest danger we who love the “spirit of revelation” face, is to believe that because we have received a “revelation” we now possess the reality of all that it implies. Dear ones, just because we have seen something does not mean we are walking in it. Just because the Lord has graced us with a vision or a dream does not mean our character and nature have been changed into the likeness of Jesus Christ.

Yet do we not often see those who have received revelation act as though they are superior to others? Rather, should those who have received revelation walk in ever greater humility because we know that we have a marvelous truth but have not yet solved the challenge to bring it into reality?

I think of Thomas Edison who had a revelation that the world could experience the magnificence of light powered by electricity. How marvelous this truth was and is. Yet it took him a very long time to move from the “revelation” to the reality.

Today the entire world has been changed in a dramatic fashion because he would not rest until his “revelation” was transformed into a practical tool in every home. Oh that we would have the perseverance and determination of grace to do the same with what the Lord has shown us!

So then, let each one of us today who are blessed to understand and walk in the spirit of revelation know the greatest response we need is humility. A humility that understands the great  responsibility of revelation and the knowledge that to see it is not necessarily to have it.

In my early years I was a tradesman. I found the most dangerous workers were not the beginning apprentices for they knew they did not know anything (they were often reminded of this by the journeyman (smile). No, the most dangerous ones were the two-year apprentices. They knew just enough about the trade to be dangerous. Yet not enough to know how to avoid the dangers. That reminds me of many who walk in the spirit of revelation today. They know that revelation is absolutely God’s plan for His church but they don’t know the dangers of receiving and giving “revelation”.

The goal of these writings is to get us to examine where we are with the revelation that the Lord has given us, and what to do with these revelations. I believe that one of the main differences between a Prophet and an Apostle lies right here. The Prophet is gifted to reveal truth and the Apostle is positioned and gifted to establish truth. Of course as in so many things there is indeed some overlap in this observation.

Let’s look at an example of what I am talking about. Most of the ministry the Lord has called me too has been to acknowledge where the Church is failing and a call to move us beyond our lack of fruitfulness and power. Many years ago I had a wonderful class made up of teen-agers. My constant message was to them that the Church you are presently observing is not the Church the Lord wants it to be. When I was first called into ministry the Lord gave me two life scriptures. I had been praying and fasting when the Lord gave these two verses to my wife and I. I had been asking the Lord to reveal what He desired our ministry to primarily focus on.

It was through the spirit of revelation that the Lord graced us with these verses:

Rev 3:14-22 KJV

And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
15  I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

19  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

20  Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
21  To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
22  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

I have now been ministering a little over forty years and have seen for myself the validity of this passage. As I sought the Lord He said, “You will be ministering to the Laodicean church”. Of course I did not know about this passage in Revelation at that time. You see, I had just been born again and called to full time ministry within months of my conversion. So I looked in a world atlas for this place called “Laodicea”. I discovered it was in Greece and promptly told my wife to get ready to move to Greece. It was not long however, until the Lord began to teach me that this passage in Revelation was speaking about the Church age just before the return of the Lord and that we were called to minister to during this Church age.

Thank God however, that the Lord did not just speak of the negative. He also gave us this wonderful verse from the book of Joshua as our life message.

Joshua 1:8 KJV
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Dear one, remember this: The Lord will never give us a task without giving us the grace to fulfill it. In our next writing we will continue to pursue the goal of taking revelation from receiving to reality.

Prayer: Father, please forgive us of our proud and haughty ways. We have turned off many hungry people because of our unwillingness to recognize that it is a long way from receiving revelation to establishing revelation. Please give us anointed Apostles who can lead the way in correcting us and establishing us.

MORE TO FOLLOW

Apostle Robert D. Rogers

Read Full Post »

Understanding the Prophetic Word – Part 1

Dear Reader – We have had a wonderful response to the series on prayer and want to follow it up with the next step in seeing our prayers come to pass. Few understand the relationship between prayer and prophesying but I think the following series will go far in taking us into the fulfillment of the last day promise recorded in Acts 2-17-18
 

Acts 2:17-18

17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
KJV

 
 

   I want to thank all of you who have responded with comments and continue to encourage all who will to forward these words to friends and relatives.

Until we have “one million voices” all speaking the same thing. 

Blessings,

Apostle Bob Rogers

   
 

UNDERSTANDING THE PROPHETIC WORD Part I

DO WE HAVE A PART?

There continues to be much confusion concerning what we do with a Prophetic word. Some have the miss-conception that if a prophetic word is given, there is nothing I have to do to see it come to pass. If we hold onto this thought, we will find ourselves in great confusion and disappointment. Prophetic words are given in two contexts; the un-conditional prophetic word and the conditional prophetic word. Almost all of the prophetic words that we will hear will be conditional.

What do we mean by, “There are many thousands of promises in God’s word, yet, almost all of them are conditional”? That is what the Lord says, “If my people will.,” then, “I will. ” For instance, look at this familiar passage:

2 Chron 7:14

14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

KJV

The conditions of this promise are fourfold. Humble ourselves, pray, seek the face of the Lord and turn from our wicked ways. Do you see it? If we do these things, then God will do what He promises. In the book of Revelation, the Lord promises to heal us from luke-warmness but we must do our part. Our part is to anoint our eyes with eye salve, buy gold tried in the fire and to put on white raiment. God then promises He will cause us to become overcomers.

The failure to understand our part when a prophetic word is given has caused great damage to the Church and to the personal lives of many believers. I trust this booklet will bring some clarity to this vital question. Like the promises of God, almost all prophetic words include something that we are required to do to see them come to pass. There are at least four vital steps we should take after we have heard a prophetic word.

1. JUDGE IT

2. RECEIVE IT

3. CONTEND FOR IT

4. PERSEVERE UNTIL IT IS COMPLETED

 
 

 MORE TO FOLLOW

 
 

 

Read Full Post »

The Seven Covenant Keys of Destiny VII – Discovering the Source of our Pain

Our study on the seven covenants keys of our destiny has brought us to this key of pain. How important it is to know where the pain is coming from and why it is there. To misdiagnose these two things can lead to a lifetime of never ending suffering. The reason it will be lifelong is because we will be treating the wrong thing with the wrong remedy.

This summer I was ready to discard something that was very valuable and important to me because I was so frustrated with it. I was working on a little motorbike called a whizzer. It was invented during WWII to save fuel for those who needed to go to work. The problem was I could not get it to start. The spark plug was almost brand new, but I checked it anyway. Yet, there just was not enough spark to get it to run. I worked on it many hours over a few weeks time. I dismantled a good portion of the whole bike. Nothing would work. I checked and re-checked my work-still nothing! How frustrated I was. I decided out of frustration to try another spark plug, even though the other one was almost brand new. I inserted the spark plug and before I could turn it over one turn, it roared into action and ran smoothly.

My point is, of course, that I thought I knew the problem could not be with the spark plug because I had already checked it. I wonder how many of us are doing the same thing with our pain? Perhaps we have already looked at our own spark plug (our heart) and decided it could not be my heart, I just checked it and everything was ok. We then move down the trail of “blame” dismantling almost everyone and everything that is important and precious in our life. Perhaps we are ready to discard something that is not the problem at all.

Dear one, this is such an important message. Do not pass over it quickly telling yourself that you already know what the problem is and why the pain is there. I can assure you, as a long time counselor, most people do not know what the root of their pain is. I remember reading something from a nationally known marriage counselor who stated that he had counseled over 10,000 marriages in his career and could not think of one that the root problem was not selfishness. The truth is most Christians will go to their grave without focusing and treating the true source of their pain. Yet, our study from the book of James has been very clear in regards to this. The Lord says, “Just ask and I will tell you.”

James 1:4-6

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

NIV

This admonition for us to ask for wisdom is in the context of the pain we are experiencing. The Lord desires to clearly reveal to us why we are going through what we are experiencing. He will not leave us in the pain any longer than necessary to accomplish His purposes in our life.

I would like to relate another story to you that I trust will help in this area. Many of us find that one of the great sources of our pain is the fact that we have not seen the dream the Lord gave us come to pass. Perhaps we have carried this dream for many years and we know the Lord gave it to us. Perhaps we have carried it for so long that it now sits on the back burner of our hearts because the thought of it is just too painful to dwell on. I had such a dream a number of years ago and it was by taking my own advice in regards to James 1:2-5 that has given me some understanding. I asked the Lord for wisdom regarding the pain I was experiencing as a result of this unfulfilled dream. I remember when the Lord first put this dream into my heart and how excited I was. Like Joseph, I told everyone and anyone that would listen about it. I meditated on it, worked on it, taught on it and wrote about it. Yet, like so many others, as time passed and the failure of the dream to materialize with it, I began to think and pray less and think less about it. Still, when the Lord places something in your heart it never truly goes away. It may seem to go into hibernation as the long winter of disappointment and delay seem to dim its reality. Yet, if it came from the Lord, I promise you it will never leave you. One day the warmth of the Son will shine on you again and reawaken that which has been dormant while the Lord worked some issues out of and into our hearts.

My dream, like so many came from a burdened heart. I had just finished reading a book titled “The Church of Irresistible Influence.” The book told about a Baptist Church, their wonderful Pastor and how they were able to lead their ministry into a true City transformation. As I rejoiced at what they had accomplished I also grieved at the ineffectiveness of my own life as well as the Pentecostal movement as a whole. I remember falling asleep and saying to the Lord, “Lord, I am a Pentecostal, and am supposed to be filled with the induement of power for service. How can we affect our communities with the power of Pentecost?” Because of this prayer and the tears that accompanied it the Lord graciously gave me the following dream.

My wife and I were about to board a plane with economy class tickets when we heard the announcement that the flight had been canceled. (My wife usually represents the Church in my dreams). We were in an international airport and it contained a world class Hotel. Somehow, I knew the Hotel was too expensive for us and that it was fully booked with no rooms available. Nevertheless, I went to the clerk and asked for a room. He said, “I am sorry sir, we are fully booked and have no rooms available.” In the dream, I was not fazed by his dismissal but rather said, “Is it not true that you keep rooms on reserve for dignitaries, sports figures and other of great people of importance?” He said, “Yes, that is true.” I said, “I will take one of those.”

Much to my surprise, he said, “OK.” He then proceeded to take us up to the upper levels and showed us a lovely room. I went in and began to open a number of the drawers in the built in dressers. Strangely, they contained all kinds of golf paraphernalia, including golf shoes and gold balls. I went to the closet and it was filled with golf shirts. As I was in the closet examining and wondering why there was so much gold equipment in the room, the phone rang. The clerk went over and answered the phone. By the way, he answered the phone I knew it was the celebrity the room was reserve for. The clerk said, “I am so sorry sir, I just gave your room away.” I could hear the man on the other end of the line as he asked, “Who did you give it too?” The clerk answered saying, “I don’t know.” The man on the other end of the line said, “Please put him on the phone.” I picked up the phone and the man said, “Hello, I am Tiger Woods, who are you and what do you do”” I answered saying, “I am Bob Rogers and I teach on dreams and visions and their interpretation.” There was a long silence on the other end of the line, and then I heard a very plaintive cry for help. Tiger said, “I have been having dreams and I do not know what they mean, will you help me?” Dear one, even as I relay this story too you I can still feel the deep emotion of that dream and of Tiger Woods cry for help.

The dream continued and the in next scene Tiger Woods, my wife and I were on the golf course together. He would take a swing, hit his ball, and then come over to talk to me about his dreams. I would then help him by interpreting them for him. As we spoke, the television cameras would focus in on us. I could hear the corporate sponsors asking the question, “Who it Tiger talking too?” The television people would tell them “We do not know who they are.” The sponsors then said, “Well find out, they must be very important for Tiger to be talking to them during the golf match.

Next scene:

My wife and are flying all over the world to the corporate headquarters of major corporations and speaking to their boards. The Lord had begun to give them dreams and they had no one to interpret them.

This was a powerful dream with significant truths that were revealed. There is more to this dream and perhaps I will be able to tell you more about it later. What I did not realize however, was that which Joseph did not know when he was first given his dreams from the Lord; that is that the Lord has a great deal of work to do in our hearts before He can fulfill these dreams. The process that He uses to do this is the, “Seven Covenant Keys to Destiny.” Once again, the keys are:

1. Purpose

2. Problem

3. Pain

4. Prayer

5. Prophesying

6. Patience

7. Purpose.

In each of these seven steps, we must learn the covenant keeping power of the Lord. In God’s eyes, a covenant is a promise that cannot be broken on His part. These seven keys represent seven places where we can develop the strength and character to keep our end of the covenant. We do this by finding the word of God that speaks to us in each of these seven seasons. God’s word is His covenant, Heaven and earth will pass away, but His word, like His covenants, will never pass away.

One of the things the Lord has to accomplish in us before He can bring the dream He has put into our hearts to pass, is to rid us of any “carnal” means by which we end up trying to use to fulfill the dream. Each time we act carnally, we “delay” the dream a little longer. If we are not aware of what carnal means are, we will be put in a holding pattern as the Lord teaches us the difference between the Holy and the profane.

If we have been exposed to Christian leaders who seem to be very successful using carnal means to fulfill a heavenly vision, our journey will often take another long detour. All these delays and detours bring more pain into our lives. Dear one, let us remember, it is God who created pain to warn us that something is wrong. If we do not find the cause and cure it, greater damage will be done. In the long run, we will discover that the true source of our pain is the place where we quit trusting and believing God and His covenant with us and chose to use some carnal means to fulfill a spiritual goal.

MORE TO FOLLOW
Blessings,
Apostle Robert D. Rogers

Read Full Post »

A Glass of Water was Poured

I believe the following is one of the most significant words I have ever received from the Lord. Over the past thirty-nine years of ministry I have only heard the “authoritative voice” of God about five or six times. About a week ago He spoke to me in this voice saying “you do not have any idea of the significance of what I am about to do in September”. When God speaks to me in this way I can but stand before Him speechless but believing. Please judge both the word about September as well as this dream that was given to me a few days later. Remember this September will mark 8 years since 9-1-1.

Dream: I saw my wife take a full glass of water and pour it into the New Testament portion of my Bible. I was immediately upset with her and said “I hate for water to be poured on the pages of my Bible it messes them up and wrinkles them. I tried quickly to pour off the water and sponge it up with a cloth. I awoke and prayed.

myInterpretation: Immediately the Lord reminded me of the wrinkles and revelation came to my heart. Do not let the wrinkles of old thinking mess up the outpouring of fresh water that is coming to the Church.

This is quite alarming to me for this reason. I consider myself to be constantly hungering for the fresh thing that God is doing. Is God about to do something so new and fresh that even those who have tried to stay on the cutting edge of things will tend to resist? Yet has it not always been so? Have not those who experienced the previous move of God almost universally not only rejected but persecuted the next move?

When God does send a fresh word He usually illuminates scripture that all have read thousands of times but did not fully grasp or understand. No amount of scholarship can or will unlock God’s word until He is ready. This is hard on our pride. Do we not consider ourselves to be scholars of God’s word? Have we not made a deep and sincere study of the scriptures our life long goal? It is through these previously stated truths that should keep us humble and teachable before the Lord.

We will need our greatest scholars in the months to come. They will however have to be humble scholars who understand that our deepest understanding of the most familiar and well known scriptures is but children playing in the shallows.

When God chose to open up the word “the just shall live by faith” an ocean of revelation followed that sparked a world wide revival and transformation.

More recently when He unlocked Acts 2:1-21 it has taken a hundred years and tens of thousands of books to only give us a little of what is contained. The verses from 17 to 18 have just in the last fifteen years taken on a new and powerful dimension. No one has of yet clearly understood 18-21.

Acts 2:17-21 NIV

17 “‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

Each time a new breakthrough in technology enables us to delve further into space a whole dimension of knowledge is unlocked. A flurry of excitement begins among the scientists and they have to throw out some of the things they were “sure of”. Even so when God grants the spirit of revelation to His holy word we will have to be careful not try to hold on to old wrinkled thinking no matter how badly it grates our intellect.

Whatever the Lord is about to do I am sure of this. It will bring refreshment and renewal to all of the New Testament. A seed is about to be pierced that will grow into a great tree of revelation and knowledge. I believe it will be a far greater revelation of Jesus Christ in His exalted position.

Eph 1:17-2:1 NIV

17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

I can almost see Him standing to His feet. What will He say and do? Who will keep their gaze upon Him? Who will so meld with His purpose that they become the very sword that He wields to establish His will in the earth? Who will abide in Him until they are transformed with His beating heart.

May God grant that it be you and I.

Read Full Post »

A Question of Mixture Part II –What are we chasing?

A great deal of the writing that the Lord has allowed me to do in these articles is a result of revelation that has come through dreams and visions. I have had these ever since I was a small child and have thought that everyone experienced them to the same degree. I now realize that is not true. When the Lord said to Aaron and Miriam:

Num 12:6 KJV

6 And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.

He was seeking to make a point about “revelation”. He went on to say that His servant Moses had a higher “revelation” than dreams and visions.

Num 12:7-8 KJV

7 My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.

8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?
The ultimate goal of the Lord is to be able to speak to us “face to face”, and that should be our goal as well. Still, we have much to learn through the ministry of dreams and visions.

I often tell others a of a very important truth regarding supernatural manifestations that the Lord gives us, and this is what I say, “Do not seek after a supernatural guidance with the Lord because, the clearer the “revelation” the more accountable we become to obedience, and that the Lord gives us these experiences because we are going to need them!” By that I mean, the battle is going to become so intense that we will need very clear and precise words to move through to victory.

Nevertheless we need and must have “revelation”. The Church has always moved forward through “the spirit of revelation”.

Rev 19:10 KJV

…worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

And:

Matt 16:17-18 KJV

17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

It is through ever increasing knowledge of who Jesus Christ is that the Church becomes triumphant. And I tell you this: only “revelation” can help us to “see Jesus”. The Holy Spirit is now revealing to the Church the absolute necessity to be “without mixture” in these last days. He will no longer accept the mixed ministry that is now being offered Him through His Church. Purity always precedes power and He is purifying His bride to be without spot or wrinkle or any such thing.

I would now like us to take a look together at a dream the Lord gave me some time ago that speaks to the present situation the Church finds itself in, and what we must do to change it.

The dream begins with me watching – A full grown dog and four puppies are chasing a cat. The puppies are having a great time following the mature dog . They are barking and running, their little tongues are hanging out and they are having a great time running behind the full grown dog. They eventually catch up to the cat, but instead of it being a cat it is a “skunk”, and it sprays all over them. I walk over, pick up two of the puppies, and, somehow I know that they represent the “prophets and apostles” and that it is my job to clean them up.

I have written some on this revelation yet, the Lord asked me another question that has clarified what needs to be further addressed and what speaks of “a question of mixture”. The Lord asked these two questions: “Why were the puppies chasing a skunk?” And, “Why did the mature dog not know the difference?”

One of the first notes of clarification that we must make here is that I somehow knew that these four puppies and the mature dog represented the “five-fold ministry” of Ephesians 4. Now, let’s begin to examine this portion of the dream based on the questions the Lord asked.

1. Who is the mature dog? The mature dog represents those who the young ministers are looking to to train and guide them. Young animals learn what to eat and what not to eat by watching their mothers and fathers. They learn what to chase and what not to chase as well, from “grown-ups”.

Can you see the serious implications from this simple dream? If those who are training our young ministers are chasing the wrong thing, the “puppies” will grow up imitating them. Because we are pursuing the wrong things, we now have a stench that causes those we are called to reach to want nothing to do with us. Many of the present day ministers have not only a poor reputation in the world, but a stinking one.

2. The second question we ask is, “Why doesn’t the grown up dog know the difference?”
The answer to this is even more frightening. He doesn’t know, because he was taught to “chase the wrong thing”. We are now at least two generations down the road from knowing what the Lord values. This is exactly what the Lord said would happen to the end-time Church.
　
Rev 3:16-18 NIV

I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.

If the Lord Himself is sick of us, can we blame the world for wanting nothing to do with our self-seeking and extravagant religion?

Still, there is great hope. The Lord would not be speaking to us with such clarity if He were not about to do something wonderful to cleanse us from our “stench”. He said as many as I love I chasten.

Rev 3:19-20 KJV

19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Deut 8:5 KJV

5 Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee.

2 Sam 7:14 KJV

14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:

This last verse says, He will use “the world to chasten us”. Surely that is where we are.

Dear ones, we have a very delicate task before us. We must acknowledge that our “spiritual fathers” have taught us to pursue the wrong thing. And yet, at the same time we must honor the good things they have accomplished and taught us. We cannot throw the baby out with the wash as the old saying goes.

Somehow our spiritual fathers have tried to dress in linen and wool at the same time. They have had some very carnal goals and have flowed in some great anointing at the same time. Because these anointings have brought them into wealth, fame and success, we have been blinded to the “mixture”, and very few are able to discern the difference.

The present day Church is now being called into the Holy of Holies where no mixture is allowed. God is raising up a “priesthood” that will be without “mixture”. This will result in a bride without, “spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing”. The three things the Lord calls us too, are the following:

I counsel thee to buy of me
(1) gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and
(2) white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and
(3) anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
Rev 3:18 (KJV)

We are being called to ask the Lord for His fire to burn the dross out of our lives. To burn every carnal goal we have been seeking from our heart. To repent for wanting to be well known and travel having others clamor after our gift and anointing. What kind of fire will it take to burn out the mixture of wanting to impress men and have the approval of the Lord at the same time?

I am looking forward to hearing what kind of mixture you might see in your own heart and the Church that the Lord will no longer accept – please respond with your insights.

Prayer – Oh, Lord, You have told us to “buy gold tried in the fire”. Please send the kind of fire that will expose the dross of my heart. Uncover and burn out whatever mixture you find. Please help me not to draw back from the fire until your work of purification is finished, and until you have a generation without mixture. I repent of goals that have a mixture of selfish-ambition and holy zeal for the Lord. Please, Lord, do not cease to let the fire burn because I cry from the heat. I truly want the purity that only You can produce in me and the Church.

MORE TO FOLLOW –
Dear ones – it is crucial that the word of the Lord get to as many as He desires. If you know of someone who will profit from these writings please direct them to our blog: onemillionvoices. May the Lord raise up His “One Million Voices”.

Read Full Post »