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Chapter 2 - Page 3 -
Why Do We Meet Together?
By Adam Bartlett
In the Evangelical and Pentecostal realms we see people running from meeting to meeting trying to get some prophetic word. We see them running from speaker to speaker to hear some "new" thing revealed. We see so many UN-godly heresies enter the church as a result and so many teachings that lead people farther and farther from what is really needed. It is a furious rush to all parts of the country to the newest "revival" to get the latest move of God. I do not see this pattern in the Bible, in fact in Acts they were continually "making" these new moves and not chasing them. They were the forerunners of God's moving because they were in the proper settings to receive the anointing. Today the anointing is so rare that it is doubtful if most Christians could recognize it. There are many movements that are not "revivals" at all but workings of emotionalism and playing to the fleshly desires of the heart. Because of the lack of personal relationships in individual Christians today these are accepted wholeheartedly as genuine moves of God. I do not believe there was ever any question in the first church as to when a move was of God or not.
Acts 16
16: And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
17: The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.
18: And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.
19: And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers,
20: And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city,
21: And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.
22: And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them.
23: And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:
24: Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.
The message this woman was giving was not recognized by anyone but Paul to be from a false spirit. The message seemed to be good and fitting, one that had no apparent underlying problem associated with it. However, Paul had an intimate relationship with God and knew that something was not right with this. It is called "discernment" and it is one of the gifts of the spirit. Unfortunately today the only gift sought after in "gift believing" churches is the gift of tongues. It is quite obvious that there is a dire need for discernment in these churches. Just as the woman's message was undetected among the crowds so is the message undetected today in the churches. The masses that are blindly following these moves in the current churchism do not see the underlying problems. That is why there is such a drastic need in today's churches for those like Paul to step forward with the discernment of truth and openly expose these churches for what they really are. They need to expose this false spirit that has blinded the eyes of so many people today and is leading them sheepishly down the "broad road" that leads to destruction. I know that I want a Garden experience with God and I cannot find it in the churches I see today.
Genesis 3:8
"And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day"
Can you imagine the relationship that Adam and Eve experienced with God? When we come to the end of our day and seek to hear the voice of God do we listen with expectation? I can imagine that Adam and Eve expected to converse with God when these times in the Garden occurred. How often do we make time and space in our busy schedules for the Garden experiences? Jesus said in Revelation 3:20, " I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and sup with him and he with me"
Jesus explains that He desires the same Garden relationship that Adam and Eve had if we will only make the effort to open the door for Him. I believe that Jesus paid the price that He did, first and foremost to atone for our sins, but I have to also believe that He did it to restore that lost relationship with us. No more going through rituals and ceremonies, just simply "enter boldly into the Holy of Holies to make our request known". Hebrews 10:19.
I have to wonder sometimes if we don't get caught up in the routines of church activity sometimes and miss out on the essence of being a child of the most High God. God adopted us back into His fellowship for that very purpose, to have a fruitful and meaningful relationship with Him.
I ask myself many times; am I satisfied with where I am in my relationship with God? I always have the same conclusion, NO… not even close. I really want to have a Garden relationship with God, how about you?
I believe that the times when Christians meet together should be centered on this very desire, not what we see today in the churches. I do not see the structure and mechanicalism in the first church when they met together. In fact in the book of Acts if you remember, they were all in an upper room for around ten days. What do you think they were doing for that time? I do not think that they were listening to Matthew give the financial report, or James give the announcements. Peter was not up there preaching to them two times a day. They were "waiting" for the promised hour and I have to believe that they were praying, praising, and encouraging each other with their testimonies. I do not believe that they had to be in their "Sunday Best" in order to speak or be accepted.
When Samuel went as God had instructed to find and anoint David, it was not the fact that David was the best dressed that made him King. It was not that he was the best orator of the family. It was not even because he went to the Temple every time the doors were open. It was because of the sincerity of his heart that God seen and was impressed with. The woman at the well was not the most sophisticated or wealthy, the blind beggar was not a public figure. If you notice, all throughout Jesus' experience it was the poor and uneducated that found favor in His eyes.
It is extremely difficult to find this type of mentality in the church settings today. It is all about social standing, money, clothing, personality, and all the wrong reasons to be accepted. God looks at the heart and searches for sincerity and that is what pleases Him. Can anyone truly say that our churches today are fostering that same atmosphere?
Chapter 3 - Are The "Traditional" Meetings
Accomplishing Anything?
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