Memo: To the Ministry of the Good Ship Lollipop

Our salvation relies upon one immutable truth; Jesus came to set the captives free. As we give the matter our full attention we learn that His sacrifice released us from the limitations of a fallen world and deposited us within the arms of our Savior. It was through one act of obedience Jesus was able to save us and release our feet from the snare of the flesh, the world and the Devil. But as you might know; in order to bring change to our way of life His death, burial and resurrection had to have a personal impact upon our lives. In short Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection became the place of our own death, burial and resurrection. Paul says it like this;

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

This spiritual embrace of His death becomes the basis for the transformed way of life. It’s the very same principles we find in salvation. A death experience with Christ not only saves us once, but also frees our mind and heart whenever we need more saving. Paul expounds upon its many benefits by saying we can,

Put to death, whatever belongs to our earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. (Colossians 3:5)

He goes on to explain how this supernatural death” is the work of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:13 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if BY THE SPIRIT you put to death the MISDEEDS of the body, you will live.

In short order the Holy Spirit then moves to establish us within His purpose and intent.

Romans 8:11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.

It is for this reason we are invited to reconsider where a fallen world may still own us. This really is describing the sanctified way of life if not the true foundation to explaining biblical deliverance.

Application

Jesus based on what you did on the Cross and by the Holy Spirit;

• Put to death my misdeed (Name it)
• And Judge by the Cross the spiritual realm that holds me captive to the same.

Jesus, You are the resurrection power that now saves me and makes me new.

Please notice based on this simple declaration I’m pointing out that misdeeds are both physical and spiritual. This gives rise to the effects that can occur within our faith.

It should not come as a surprise that religious kingdoms cover the earth. But what do they all have in common? Pursuit of God gets handled by men having good intentions. This often leads to a misinterpretation of the Savior and it adds questionable spiritual validation along the way.

To clarify religion begins with a natural attempt to seek after God, but ends up adding spiritual fuel to the fire. However true faith begins with the Holy Spirit being established within us, which then leads to a change in our natural behavior. This carries us from one faith to another and one glory into greater glory.

2 Corinthians 3:18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

This is why Paul’s mention of the Cross of Christ is so important in moving us forward in faith. It is simply that we often remain caught between two worlds; one serves the wisdom of the flesh and another the counsel of the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 7:1 Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

What of the Godhead then? Are we assured that we haven’t crossed an unhealthy religious line within our interpretation of the triune God? From my own experience I can tell you that forty years of religious practice has set within me all sorts of distortions regarding the Godhead. Paul the Apostle offers us some wisdom here;

Ephesians 4:4-6 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Christian practice no doubt attributes all its activity to being the work of One God in three persons. Yet the striking differences within church order should have us asking which god actually sits on the throne. Differences in doctrine tend to dictate who and what leads the church and the Christian.

My own journey of discovery required that I review a life time of compromise beginning with my own parents and siblings take on god. I was confronted by their Baptist, Presbyterian, Catholic, Assemblies of God, and Buddhist back ground. But that then also adds questionable spiritual support.

As I took these matters to the Cross I discovered that Jesus isn’t a Baptist, Presbyterian or Catholic and the spirit behind each religious definition of a savior quickly fell off. However keep in mind I suffered for years not knowing I could challenge ownership once imposed upon me by these systems of belief. Of course that also demanded I reevaluate how I embraced Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.

I once again thought about how home life had affected me. If home was the source of religious compromise then my travels into adulthood would automatically seek to keep those same gods alive. These matters have everything to do with human conditioning and its influence over future spiritual choices. So if a few religious spirits began my journey into faith then they are a point of familiarity; even a point of comfort within my upbringing. For this reason I would naturally look to them to define future relationships if not define the nature and character of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Application

Jesus based on what you did on the Cross and by the Holy Spirit;

• Put to death where I remain subject to past, present and future exchanges with religious gods once present within my family upbringing.
• Put to death the limitations once imposed upon me by a counterfeit Father, Son and Holy Spirit born of religion. (Which religions?)
• Judge by the Cross the spiritual realm associated with these issues.

Jesus, You are the resurrection power that now saves me and makes me new.

Conditioning also relates to how circumstances in life have molded our perceptions of God. For example a rocky home life will naturally influence our perceptions of deity and alter how we respond. In other words, if Dad was abusive then we will naturally view God the Father through that same lens. The same is true of the Son if a brother was proficient at cruelty. Add to this how past church fathers/pastors may have once misrepresented the heart of God in doctrine or practice. These authority figures do leave a mark on our future growth and trust in the Savior. Likewise an Old Covenant teaching has also been known to shake our confidence if we forget about the shed blood of Jesus having accomplished its perfect work. Without the New Covenant being our anchor we may view the Old Testament version of God the Father as violent towards His people, when in actuality He was trying to save them.

Since all things are now summed up in Christ it means we can also rightly dismiss the need to fulfill First Covenant principles in order to please our Maker.

Do keep in mind that the Old Covenant was geared towards bringing instruction to the natural man. Human wisdom and rationale taught the early saints how to please God with fleshly service. If we mistakenly forget that we are now of the Spirit then we can find ourselves performing for God rather than being at rest in Him.

Paul addresses this form of duality by saying;

Galatians 3:1,3 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. … Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?

Application

Jesus based on what you did on the Cross and by the Holy Spirit;

• Put to death where I have been negatively conditioned to view God the Father and Son as unsafe due to physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual abuse by authority figures from my past (Name them).
• Judge by the Cross the spiritual realm associated with these issues.

Jesus, You are the resurrection power that now saves me and makes me new.

Another layer of duality and probably the most significant relates to how specific God and men rolls appear within both covenants.

First and foremost we recognize that the Holy Spirit has ministered within both; but let’s begin with the Holy Spirit of the new.

The Holy Spirit’s role is to lead us into all truth. He carries the voice of the Father and of the Son and creates for us a personal and intimate link with eternity.

• He is our standard of spiritual gifting, calling and anointing. (1 Corinthians 12:4)

• He is the power and the glory that is within us. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
• He sits on the throne of our hearts. (2 Corinthians 1:22)
• He governs our thoughts and actions.( 1 Corinthians 2:16)
• He is our sanctification. (Romans15:16)
• He is the standard of righteousness, peace and joy within us Romans 14:17
• He is the seal of our salvation. (Ephesians 1:13)
• He has made us one with God. (1 Corinthians 6:17)
• He found a new use for the death of Jesus. (Romans 8:14)

2 Corinthians 3:18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

The most profound freedoms are ours by having received the Holy Spirit within. However the Old Covenant paints a different picture of Holy Spirit ministry. As Adam and Eve where formed they received the breath of life and the Holy Spirit encompassed round about them with His glory. The most noted difference from what the New Testament reveals is the Holy Spirit did not enter them. This was due to a covenant of flesh God made with man giving him authority to rule and reign within a natural world and taking physical dominion. So even after the fall of man in the garden that pattern remained.

What we see of Old Testament Holy Spirit ministry is power being imparted to the flesh of the saints. Such glory laid hold of a saint and moved them to perform remarkable feats of strength.

• Elijah ran ahead of the chariot 1 Kings 18:46,
• Joshua defeated the giants – Book of Joshua,
• David had 30 fighting men 2 Samuel 23:8–38,
• Samson slew a thousand men with the jawbone of a donkey Judges 15:16.

Yes, the Old Testament did offer exceptions to the rule, where God would at times download within the mind of a man special abilities of wisdom, knowledge and all kinds of skills. This was mainly in respect to the construction of the 1^st temple and its implements. However the Word gives only one example of pre-cross Holy Spirit filling in regards to John the Baptist who was filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb. All other Old Testament encounters represent an external source of empowerment for the saints.

You might ask; did the saints gain a physical touch from God within their senses?

An external glory very likely was a part of a fleshly witness.

Psalm 21:6 Surely you have granted him unending blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence.

The Old Testament is replete with such encounters and may very well explain David’s famous cry:

Psalm 51:11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

This external link with the Holy Spirit also explains the ministry of Jesus within the four gospels. He was not Spirit filled but rather Spirit equipped.

Matthew 3:16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.

Another verse in Isaiah paints a similar picture;

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. (Isaiah 42:1)

Maybe you can see the growing problem when defining ministry of today. Do we still have access to an “external Holy Spirit” offering us a special fleshly empowerment?

Personally the subject had never crossed my mind until recently. I thought Old and New covenants were in sync with one another; and therein lies the problem. Have I actually known a “holy spirit like power” that fell short of the One True Spirit of God? My years within “Charismania” takes this to a whole new level of questionable glory. If in fact God has changed the Covenant and the way in which the Spirit ministers then any resurgence of Old Testament glory is highly suspect. Most notably we can expect:

• Physical experiences with counterfeit powers touching the senses.
• Counterfeit powers that mimic O.T. encounters with god.
• Counterfeit powers that mimic the exploits of O.T. saints.
• Counterfeit signs, wonders, miracles and glory.
• Counterfeit powers serving the temple (Church Building) or its implements.
• Spiritual validation of false authority.
• Mimicking the saints of old with signs following.
• The passing of mantles being legitimized.
• A resurgence of an O.T. priest class.
• Christian adopting Jewish customs.
• Counterfeit Prophetic utterances.

Application

Jesus based on what you did on the Cross and by the true Holy Spirit;

• Put to death where I remain subject to men, organizations and a demonic realm that promote an old covenant outside Holy Spirit ministry that
• Adds powers which touch my senses.
• That invite counterfeit powers to mimic Old Testament encounters with god.
• Or that invite counterfeit powers that mimic the exploits of Old Testament saints.
• Or that add powers that Counterfeit Old Testament signs wonders and miracles and glory
• Or that have subjected me to counterfeit powers in Church Buildings that I’ve attended.
• Or that add Spiritual validation to false authority upon my person.
• Or that lets me mimic the saints of old with signs and wonders following
• Or that lets me participate in receiving any mantles of power or authority.
• Or that placed on me “into” or “under” an Old Testament priest class roll.
• Or that lets me participate as if I am an Old Testament Prophet or ministry.

Judge by the Cross the spiritual realm associated with these issues.

Jesus, You are the resurrection power that now saves me and makes me new.

Let’s talk about the Prophet within this same light.

When we look at prophetic ministry from the standpoint of old and new faith; no other gift so clearly jumps from one covenant to the next. This then requires that we ask if they are one and the same or a completely different prophetic voice.

We can begin by stating that the Prophet of old represented God’s voice offering counsel and instruction on behalf of the saints. We also find that the voice provided a window into favor when the people pleased God or remained committed to serving His purposes. But then it was also a voice of warning and judgment when the saints or nations failed in their devotion.

1. prophetic voice can be found within the New Testament allowing both men and women to prophesy. A message can now be delivered by any of God’s people. However I personally question whether there is still an Office of the Prophet. Does it exist in the midst of our terribly divided church? I would ask the same question about the Apostle. Yet proof of authenticity still rests with Jesus as the Apostle and the spirit of prophecy.

1 Thessalonians 5:20-22 Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.

Sounds like Paul saw the same pitfalls within the prophetic voice in his day. I bring this to light because the mention of Prophecy can be tested. When the message comes wielding an Old Covenant sword their voice carries with it that same O.T. inflection. We also see it in the contract present within the message, but the surest discerning force is the Holy Spirit within us. God is not speaking from an outside source, yet every other power filling the airways will be quick to offer support. From an outside source the prophet can be inappropriately listening to;

• Powers that rule over territories.
• Powers that rule within religion.
• Powers that govern politics or finance.
• Powers that serve a prophets life style.
• Powers that serve worldly want and desire.

False prophets may also make use of spirits found within channeling, divination, Lucid dreaming, Dream interpretation, necromancy, Remote viewing, Numerology, and Visualization.

Without some clarity made available at the Cross of Christ we all have been duped in one way or another.

Application

Jesus based on what you did on the Cross and by Your true Holy Spirit;

• Put to death where I remain either subject to counterfeit prophecy or speaking counterfeit prophecy.
• Put to death by the Holy Spirit where I have been subject to the prophetic voice born of counterfeit powers ruling over territories, ruling within religion or in my past religious associations, Also ruling politics and finance, or powers that serve a prophets life style, or powers that come from their worldly want and desire.
• Put to death by the Holy Spirit where I have also been subject to the prophets use of channeling, divination, Lucid dreaming, Dream interpretation, Necromancy, Remote viewing, Numerology, and Visualization.
• Judge by the Cross the spiritual realm associated with these issues.

Jesus, You are the resurrection power that now saves me and makes me new.

Memo to the Ministry of the Good Ship Lollipop

I’ve done it! I’ve been there and I paid the ultimate price for my ignorance! Charismatic ministry basses its success on spiritual exchanges and experiences that they ascribe to being from God. But it should not come as a surprise that all religion bases success in the very same way. If you are not feeling it then you must be doing something wrong.

Now an Old Covenant saint might be able to accept that philosophy, but a New Covenant saint has no excuse. The Holy Spirit is within you; so how are you accessing the God within?

In another article I pointed out that I had become an anointing junky. But it didn’t mean I wasn’t looking for connection with Jesus in the process. It only meant that I thought I had to access Him through experience that touch the senses. And so I gave my whole heart to the task of finding Jesus within my flesh.

That included devotion to a fellowship, to powerful leadership, and to the goal I would one day carry a similar mantle of authority. In each case power did manifest, and since feelings were my barometer of success I thought I had arrived.

However life soon fell apart. To make a long story short it wasn’t until I experienced abuse within that same fellowship that I finally cried out to God for relief; “Jesus, I keep missing you, will you come find me!” Within short order the revelation of my death with Christ was made apparent and I saw it as a true foundation to explaining “the good news”. From that moment on I delighted in throwing off every religious weight and every sacred cow that I once worshiped.

What event, what example of faith, or what power proves you are on the right road? What proof is there that you are an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor or teacher? As far as I can tell Paul the Apostle resolves the issue quite nicely; his message cuts to the chase.

“If you kill it (Romans 8:13) and it comes back to life then it’s God!”.

But “If you take your gifting, calling and anointing to the Cross and it dies, then get off the stage!”

Time is short and so is freedom from counterfeit ministry. But it is within our grasp now to let the Cross do its perfect work. However for many the question is still on the table, will you let God touch or challenge your sacred cows? Only He can set us free of such self indulgent spiritual abuse.

What no body tells you is ministry is not your salvation.

And of course false power and false ministry has the same potential of sending us to hell. This is where we are at this moment in time. The age of grace is coming to a close and Our God wants us to reconsider the importance of relationship. It shouldn’t be a hard choice; but too many believers think that all their building and striving for God gets them to heaven faster. No it’s about relationship!

If you only had two days to live where would your focus be? From this day forward you should be thinking about allowing a pursuit of Jesus to be more important than the things of the earth; even what we think is GOOD RELIGION!

Ephesians 4:20-25 …when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Application

Jesus based on what you did on the Cross and by the Holy Spirit; I let you decide whether my spiritual gifting, calling and anointing has anything to do with a relationship with You.

• So put to death by the Holy Spirit my lifetime of spiritual pursuits that I have thought were a pursuit of You.
• And put to death the ministry imparted to me or the ones I orchestrated filled with spiritual signs, wonders, miracles, gifting calling and anointing, power, presence and purpose.
• And put to death any commission as an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor or teacher I once wore if it is a possible distraction to loving You.
• Judge by the Cross the spiritual realm associated with these issues.

Jesus, You are the resurrection power that now saves me and makes me new.