O my threshed people, and my afflicted of the threshing floor! What I have heard from the LORD of hosts, The God of Israel, I make known to you. Isaiah 21:10
“It will come about in all the land, Declares the LORD, “That two parts in it will be cut off and perish, But the third will be left in it. And I will bring the third part through the fire, refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’” Zech13:8-9
“Look among the nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days– You would not believe if you were told.” Habakkuk 1:5
Many of my dear Neo-Evangelical and Reformed Evangelical friends think “the apostacy just *can’t* happen in MY camp”. I know because I used to be one, and thought this. But the hard truth is, the apostacy is a “no Church left behind” program. There is no “pure and safe place” in Christendom that is not infiltrated and corrupt by this thing that many think is only happening “over there” with “those people”. (And have we not looked down on them with pride and contempt as if we have arrived?!) No, The leaven has leavened the WHOLE lump, even your part.
Thus all we sheep are going to have to make sure we are clinging to the Rock of Christ, NOT standing on the shifting sands of “my Church” and “my favorite theologian”, “my Theological camp” and “my Denomination”. This shaking is a good thing. It is a threshing; God is separating out His own. He calls out His own from “the world” to follow HIM, not men. In the process, we are deciding who we are “with”; are we “with Jesus” or are we “with my Denomination/preacher/theology camp/MY version of Christianity”? We’re going to have to choose. This hurts; it is a very painful process, this threshing, this purging. But it is for God’s good purpose: our sanctification and His glory.
Hello dear sister,
You might be shy, but you write with a sword for a pen.
Agape,
Linda
Linda I’m so thankful that I’ve met you, dear sister.
love, Loretta
Amen Linda, sister Loretta is doing some excellent work, she sure spells better than i do..
But guess what? i just got a new spell check program, Im going to be tough compitition from now on. LOL
Agape to all
Bill.
hello brother Bill : )
Amen Sister! Threshing and purging. As a dear brother Travis says, Cast your fate to the wind……This old saying is biblical. Satan brings us the wind, storm and flood. He controls the elements restrained only by our Great God and Father.
What happened after God turned Job over to Satan? “And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.” Job 1:19
The winnowing fan was a fork-shaped tool used to throw grain in the air after it was beaten small, to let the wind separate the wheat from the chaff.
This shows us in a figure how sanctification occurs. God allows us to be beaten small and tossed to the winds of the enemy. This process causes our flesh to be circumcised off of us (“put off the old man” Eph 4:22-24). This is the experience of the flint knife of the cross. It makes us ready to “put on the new man” in resurrection.
“Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved. 32Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off.” Acts 27:31-32
It takes faith to allow your self to be cast to the winds of Satan. The winds take you where you need to go kind of like Jonah was taken where he needed to go in the whale’s belly. This is scary. We lose all control. God uses Satan to transform us. Sanctification, in this way, is by faith, not human effort. Gal 3:1-5.
And when they had taken up anchors, they committed themselves to the (stormy) sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoisted up the main sail, and made toward the shore. . . And the hinder part (symbol of the flesh) was broken by the violence of the waves (the elements).
Today, pull up all the anchors you use to control your life and others. Cast your fate in faith to the winds and elements of Satan knowing that victory lies in JESUS. Say “Father, do with me as You will and as You see fit. I know You are with me!” God will see you thru as He did Job and Paul. This is our path too thru the stormy seas and high winds of sanctification. Cast your fate in faith to the wind. Be purged and threshed baring about the marks of the LORD JESUS!
Loretta, my good sister, quite busy of late I see! And to think not long ago I sent you an email to see if you were ok and that I missed you!
Well done dear sister! I appreciate you greatly.
Met with a minister and his spouse tonight to begin the dis-illusion process with them. The Lord was gracious and their ears were open! Soon, they too may be reading your work. The Lord appears to have begun a Bethany work in a few traditional fellowships, even as He thins their ranks. Imagine undershepherds actually serving as the least among the body as it should be!
Thanks again, and pray for our success in/through Him in our new found mission work, please?