SheepTrax™ is an ezine of humor, insight, and Christian teaching, featuring the wit, wisdom and deepthinking of Bryan Hupperts. Please forward this message!
---------------------------------------------------------------------
July 2, 2003
Iron Tools

Hi, SheepTrax!

I was pleased to host a mini 2-day conference with Andrew Strom of Thunder Ministries, New Zealand last week on the theme of The Coming Street Revival. Many, many thanks to all those who participated and attended.

Andrew teaches that most revivals, not the weekend meetings with a guest speaker that the West erroneously calls revivals, but genuine moves of the Spirit of God that transform whole communities and save multitudes in a matter of weeks, not years, are outdoor events. God has a heart for the marketplace.

For instance, in the book of Acts, the believers met in the courtyard of the Temple (Acts 5:12) in a place called Solomon’s Porch. Many of the outstanding miracles of the NT occurred in the marketplace, outdoors for the entire world to see. When the Apostle Paul was testifying to the resurrection of Christ, he snorted a retort in Acts 26:26, saying, "… this thing was not done in a corner.”

Andrew and I both believe that a mighty move of God is coming. I have stated this before but it bears repeating: part of the ministry of Sheeptrax is to WARN the church that revival is coming. Warn? Isn’t revival a good thing? Yes, if you walk in holiness and consecration to God.

One night I was agonizing over the state of the church. I know many self-serving professional clergy who seem far more interested in seeing their own needs met rather than the church come to fruition and function. We have this grievous, corrupt system that functions much like warring fast-food restaurant chains that compete head on for market share. As the Apostle James said, “Brethren, such things ought not be.”

Christ is not divided and neither is his body. Am I calling for an ooey-gooey squirming ecumenical flesh fest? No! True unity is based on the absolute Lordship of Jesus. 1 John 1:7, “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” Each of us must “get right” with God and then live that way.

Bluntly, the church has nearly overdosed to death on unbalanced teaching about Grace! God has been so thoroughly de-clawed you’d think he was a tame, cuddly ‘lil pussycat just waiting to Meow from his throne! Is he Love? Yes, certainly. We forget that the Lion of Judah is the King of Beasts and can roar! The Apostle Paul reminded the Romans of this duality in Romans 11:22, “Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.”

God is kind, yet he is severe. He is Love, yet he is also unyielding Truth. He graciously forgives yet sits supreme in Judgment. Here’s a New Testament truth I have never heard mentioned from any pulpit, Hebrews 10:31, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

As I said, I am a trumpeter raised up to WARN the church that revival is coming!

While in prayer for the meetings with Andrew, the Lord impressed this curious verse on my heart. 1 Kings 6:7, “And the temple, when it was being built, was built with stone finished at the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built.”

Which means…? It goes back to Deuteronomy 27:5, "And there you shall build an altar to the LORD your God, an altar of stones; you shall not use an iron tool on them.” The reason is simple. God called himself the Rock. A rock is a naturally occurring creation of God. It is not shaped by human hands or forged by human design. His people were to build altars made of rocks, and not use iron tools to shape these places where God and man would commune. Once you use an iron tool to begin to shape a rock, it becomes an idol carved by man, and not a sovereign thing of God’s creation.

The modern church has been shaped by many such “iron tools,” you know, good marketing ideas and clever schemes to “get ‘em in the door.” What God is going to do in the coming street revival will not require the iron tools of man. Indeed, He is declaring a moratorium on such idol building among his people.

When the Spirit of God begins to sweep over your community, you will have a decision to make. You will either cling to all of the good church ideas forged by the iron tools of man or you will drop them for the idols they in truth are and follow the glory cloud as one of those who, as described in Revelation 14:4, “…follow the Lamb wherever He goes. “

Be warned: revival is coming!
 
 
 

Bryan Hupperts © 2003
SheepTrax Media ™
PO Box 270256
St. Louis, MO 63127 USA
deepsheep@sheeptrax.com
www.SheepTrax.com
http://www.sheeptrax.injesus.com
 

Bryan’s book, “A Raven’s Gift,” is a collection of oft off-beat devotional writings that address why God sometimes uses the weird things of this world to bless and teach his people. Click to order: http://www.sheeptrax.com/html/sheepstore.html It’s how we fund our ministry.

Legal Stuff: Copyright © 2003 Bryan Hupperts. Permission to distribute this material via email, or individual copies, is automatically granted on the condition it will be used for non-commercial purposes and will not be sold.