The Deliverer - Aspects of the Prophetic Office
By Lars Widerberg
Salvation is wholly of God. He alone is the author and perfecter of our
faith, Hebr 12:1-2. God is certainly our redeemer, and he will return to
Zion to deliver his people, Isa 59:20. Indeed, there is no other name
given unto man, through which he will be able to obtain relief. No other
method is valid in securing forgiveness and the deliverance from sin
than the method of divine substitution, Lev 17:11. No sacrifice will
satisfy the demands of God almighty than the one given once and for all
at the Cross, Heb 9.
Yet, salvation is a matter of careful examination and inquiry. Salvation
is substantial. Salvation is meant to bring tangible results. Redemption
and deliverance set up sharp and clear borderlines. So does the process
of sanctification. Salvation is to be practically applied and worked
out, Phil 2:12. Examination and inquiry. Within what limits can I expect
God to operate? What does He want to accomplish? How does He do it? How
am I to be involved? Salvation is to be prayed for, while probing and
searching the rich and long texts of prescriptions and promises.
A prophet is recognised by his pursuit for truth. A prophet's eye might
see through you but only to try to see you through. He is occupied with
probing and testing for the sake of relevant expressions of the
salvation so costly to our Lord. 1 Pet 1:10-11. Timely expressions.
Christ painted before our eyes by the use of proper colours, royalty and
redemption, a praying priest.
Christian faith is basically a matter of worship and revelation.
Christianity is all a matter of registering and applying what is pursued
during long hours of listening. Christianity is the religion of probing,
measuring and weighing. A Christian has to learn to read, read the 1189
chapters of revelation and instruction. He has to align himself properly
to all that is possible to take in from all of those texts. How blessed
are those who observe His testimonies, who seek Him with all their
heart, Ps 119:2.
The prophetic dimension is the realm of listening, of careful
examination. Revelation demand two things: The searching , inquiring
mind of man and the revealing Spirit of God. Revelation leaves no room
for man's passivity and complacency.
What kind of salvation is it that the true prophets so eagerly pursue?
Salvation is wholly of God; why try to understand and lay hold of the
process of deliverance? Why spend time and energy on categorising the
sources and mechanisms of bondage and slavery and the way to freedom.
Instruction, preaching the Word of God, brings deliverance. Lack of
insight brings devastation, Hos 4:6. A prophet's task is to bring
deliverance, Hos 12:13. They heal the brokenness of the daughter of My
people superficially, saying, "Peace, peace,' but there is no peace. Jer
8:11. Revivalism is but an illusion. The folly of fantasy is bondage and
slavery.
Instruction, a relevant call to repentance is bitter medicine to the
deceived as well as to the deceiver. So this I say, and affirm together
with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk,
in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding,
excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them,
because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous,
have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind
of impurity with greediness. Ephesians 4:17-19.
Salvation offers a delivered thought life. Salvation re-establishes the
will to and the ability to think, to understand and to examine. Anyone
telling you not to think is a false prophet. Anyone telling you to obey
without questions or to just let go emotionally is inviting you to live
under delusion. Revelation, the prophetic dimension, brings instruction
and ability to take proper measure.
Any betrayal, any falsification of true religion has its root in man's
distorted view of the Cross. Thinking and relating rightly as to the
fact of the Cross brings deliverance. Downplaying its importance,
treating it derogatory, redefining its role is the point of beginning of
any man's folly. A friend was lost when he stated that he had been at
the Cross once and never had to return to it anymore. The open rebellion
was a fact. The following quote brings optimised rebellion into light:
"If the death of Jesus on the Cross paid for man's sin, then every man
could die for himself", E. W. Kenyon. Lack of insight brings
devastation. Prophets give themselves to careful examination and inquiry
to be able to describe the process and mechanisms of salvation.
For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He
may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. 2 Chron 16:9.
A Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those who turn from transgression
in Jacob, declares the LORD. Isa 59:20. When he comes, he does so to
present a practical plan and program to bring his people out of bondage.
God states in a most practical and definite way the reasons for
captivity. In the same manner he sets forth his program for deliverance.
Love is unconditional, but holiness is not optional. Deliverance is
brought about according to appropriate patterns related to the specific
settings and conditions of the captives. God has his Cyrus. He secures
the foundation of worship by igniting men's heats with fiery desire to
build the temple according to the set plan.
Spiritual bondage and deliverance requires definition. Each and every
illness reacts only to its own cure and remedy. Holiness is not
optional. The way to holiness is not optional. The way to holiness is
set as to course and events, carefully planned for each and every
individual according to his character and final goal. Deliverance aims
at moral action. It profits us to quote C. G. Finney: "Here is one grand
mistake of the Church. They suppose that revivals consist mostly in a
state of excited emotion rather than in conformity of the human will to
the will of God. Hence when the reasons for the excitement have ceased
and the public mind begins to grow more calm, they begin immediately to
say that the revival is on the decline, when in fact with much less
excited emotion there may be vastly more real religion in the
community." - The promise of the Spirit.
Prophecy autentifies God's presence. It defines and brings identity to
the listener, the receiver, in relation to God and his goals. Prophecy
provides a framework within which God intends to bring deliverance. It
sets standards and goals. Prophecy is relevant, not dreamy. God speaks
to his children by name. He does not work in an impersonal way, emitting
waves and flows to accomplish some unspecified results in an body
without definition. A Church is a Church, geographically and socially
defined. Each Church need to be treated locally and according to its
specific needs and flaws. The seven Churches - Rev 2-3 - received each a
personal letter from the Lord, no duplicates, no copy machines.
Prophecy, its aims and results can and must be seized and measured. The
expected repentance and the result of repentance is utterly sharp in its
contours.
The spiritistic prophecy machine sounds like God - benevolent clichés,
theologically tolerable - but is pumping out generalities as if God is
graciously looking at his nice children but having nothing in particular
to say. "Everything is fine and it is going to get better and I am OK
and you are OK." Prophecy brings definition, intending integrity and
holiness. Prophecy brings definition and judgment but is not judgmental.
Mind you, pearls is not to be cast before swine - how to discern and to
identify swine if you are not to judge. Prophecy comes in power, but not
as a dreamy flow lifting you up into rosy bliss.
The prophet's mouth is not the law and truth, but the law and truth has
to be found in a prophet's mouth. Prophets must make sure that their
words really belong to the Lord, 1 Pet 4:11. Prophets cannot demand
obedience based on blind faith. Prophets are not the law, they have no
right to re-define law, or tht truth as revealed in the Bible. Our faith
is based on truth. Truth is our deliverer, Joh 8:32. Obedience related
to truth purifies souls and prepares for sincere love for brethren, 1
Pet 1:22. Revelation, true prophecy allows you to gird your mind for
action, 1 Pet 1:13. Holiness is not harsh. A prophet brings you back to
the Book.
True prophecy has learnt to understand the necessity of living and
applying the Cross. True prophecy has learnt to explain and to enforce
the law of sacrifice as revealed in the pouring out unto death of the
first Seed-grain, Jesus Christ. The prophet, the deliverer takes you
back to the only possible freedom that leads to a blessed life - the
freedom of obedience - Ps 119:2. From where does the blessing come which
is flowing like rivers over a disobedient people? Judgment begins at the
house of the Lord, 1 Pet 4:17.
The product of proper prophecy is the dividing of the spiritual and the
soulish, Heb 4:12, for the sake of true worship, Joh 4:23. Prophecy
brings division. Prophecy does not generate excitement, it prepares
minds to become girded. It never exaggerates, it never stirs for the
sake of arousal, rather it brings peace and order. Prophecy brings
revelation rather than revival. Prophecy without moral consequence leads
to death. Revival without moral consequence says "I am rich" thus
revealing its true nature, which is utter poverty. A revival which leads
a person to love the Lord in a greater measure but allows her to
continue without change, living according to her traditional values and
standards is but deception.
Deliverance brings you face to face with a thorough re-evaluation, most
certainly in relation to the position God has been allowed to have in
your life. He will break away from the pattern established which rules
in favour with the old nature. The Cross killed Christ, and it is going
to kill any sinner. It dethrones you and installs the Lord on the throne
of your heart. This is the core of the prophetic dimension.
Prophets bring the people back to reality, back to order. Their message
calls the people to build the Temple and to forsake their own comfort.
Words focusing on personal affluence distracts and confuses the aim of
the people of the Lord. The law of sacrifice cannot be compromised. The
altar has to be restored. Elijah confronts the prophets of Baal, and
their message of prosperity. Haggai rebukes the minds set on building
mansions on earth. Esra restores the dignity of a nation by forcefully
preaching moral law. Man brought back to God is man brought back to
servanthood. Poor nations are those who have a Church where God is
treated as a waiter. Deliverance brings order. Deliverance is the
beginning of God's holiness made to be seen among his people.
Compare the quality of the presence of God of the revivals of the olden
times to the glamour and frivolity in the so called revivals of today.
Shame. Mature prophets bring maturity. Mature prophets speak the heart
of the Lord. The prophetic messages of today speak the heart of man -
"More, Lord". People of the Lord, come to your senses! Does the gold
dust pay the bills? What does the poor nations of the earth need? Will
they become satisfied by prophetesses wearing masks of modern cosmetics,
flashing in the heavy spotlight, pretending to shine as if Heaven were
present? Pay the bills of the poor! What a lovely sound from teeth with
heavenly gold fillings chewing the best of the best kitchens while the
majority of the world is starving. God's glory? By no means!. Spiritual
support of prophets of deception misleading a people who happily give
their consent. Samuel, the prophet, considered it to be sin not praying
for deliverance of the people, 1 Sam 12:23. And we certainly need some
delivereance.
The false prophet is eager to declare that you have the right to
"Prophecy your own future". Faith is looked upon as a tool to be used to
accomplish you own salvation, all according to your own taste. Prophetic
ability is considered to be words of your own mouth and fantasy
producing your prosperous future and your daily well-being. Praying for
daily bread is obsolete. Christian faith has nothing to do with the
spiritistic Mind over Matter techniques taught by mediums who mutter and
mumble, Isa 8:19, or pop-preachers proposing pacifying mind is the way
of an overcomer. Faith is a relation. Faith is not creative power
released by an overheated imagination. Prophetic words are not law in
your mouth for circumstances to obey and become regulated by. God alone
is creator.
Prophets are to bring messages of deliverance and they do so first of
all by addressing the folly of fantasy. Prophets bring deliverance by
bringing the people back to obedience. Divination, faith techniques and
prosperity pursuit is all but deception and spiritistic delusion - Jer
14:14. Like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all
your behaviour; because it is written, YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.
1 Pet 1:15-16.
Prophets call for purity of mind and of soul. Prophets speak truth which
can be seized and acted upon. Since you have in obedience to the truth
purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love
one another from the heart, 1 Pet 1:22. Salvation is optimised as to aim
and goal. Salvation aims at the deliverance from the folly of fantasy,
the vanity and self worship, unto obedience and true worship in spirit
and truth. Holiness is never optional.
Overcoming equals obedience and ability to continue in obedience.
Overcoming aims at overriding any obstacle of inherent and inherited
disobedience. The overcomer prepares himself for perfect worship in
spirit and truth.
The word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to
us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Cor 1:18. The Cross is
power unto salvation. Prophetic proclamation of the Cross is power unto
deliverance. The Cross is the key to the door in the narrow gate leading
to life in and fellowship with Jesus Christ. The Cross is the beginning
of deliverance. The Cross can safely be preached, because it cannot be
compromised. The Cross can safely be preached because it will cause its
own specific results. It kills the one daring to manipulate it and it
restores the one daring to die through it. The Cross is the lifestyle of
a Christian. It represents the continual re-capturing of the possibility
to live a sanctified life. The Church is born crucified, it lives
crucified. It surely dies when turning away from the Cross.
The Cross allows you to become more and more fully delivered to obey
moral law. The modern cross releases you from the obligation to die to
the world, to sin and to flesh. The old Cross, the real Cross kills and
does away with the sinner, The death of Jesus Christ brings life, which
is ability to live holy. To live is to have the capacity to handle any
given situation in accordance to moral law. Reducing or eliminating the
Cross opens for any and all of the principalities and powers which were
meant to stay disarmed, Col 2:15.
Prophets call to overcoming on the ground of the Cross. Prophets who
have given themselves to careful examination and inquiry of the
mechanisms and procedure of salvation define overcoming as a work
involving all your mind, all you heart, all you strength and all you
soul to establish obedience to moral law through the presence of the
Holy Spirit unto sanctification. God writes law, writes the covenant on
man's heart and mind, Heb 8:10. Overcoming is a work unto worship in
spirit and truth. Prophetic deliverance brings truth. Prophetic words
are meant to establish solid foundation for change, for sanctification
according to moral law. The process of salvation is reduced to nought
through the neglect of the Cross. The Cross is indeed in it self the
mechanism of deliverance. The prophet who has not given himself to the
examination and inquiry as to the procedures of salvation and
sanctification has no prophetic message to bring forth to the people of
God.
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