Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Oil or toil?
The sermon at my church during this week's Sunday evening service was titled "That's the Spirit: Fresh Oil". The pastor expounded on the Holy Spirit's annointing, drawing parallels between the role and nature of oil in our physical world, and the Spirit's oil metaphor in God's Word.
The challenge given was: What's the condition and viscosity of your oil? How fresh is it? The message was timely, but what I didn't expect was the Lord's message to me...
The parallels that the sermon brought out were that, spiritual oil can:
"Child, the only way for your walk with Me to survive, is for you to abide in Me".
"Come. Come to the banquet. Before, you were eating crumbs from under the table. Now, feast on all that I have for you. I will be doing a new thing in your life that I have not done before, a road in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. Do you not know it? Let my oil flow in you... where there is oil, there is fire. Where there is fire, there is burning. Your past has no power over you anymore. What is burnt is fertile for soil." (Isaiah 43)
There was a call last night at Westminster Chapel, for people who desired to get more of what God has for them. I normally don't do alter calls. I have only done it one other time in my two years at this church. As the preacher exhorted each person to go deeper with God, something stirred up within me. I am yearning for something more. I do not know how to call it: thrist, hunger, desperation, emptiness, dissatisfaction, etc. - words cannot describe. But I knew in my Spirit that I needed to step out, into what I am not sure.
Even as I shuffled out of my seat and considered whether I should carry my knapsack with me to the 'altar' (human reasoning would say that if I do not take my bag with me, someone may steal it otherwise), I distinctly sense the Lord metaphorically say, "Leave the baggage behind.....".
A take the sandals off your feet moment. Poignant. So I left my bag on the pew.
Epilogue:
God moves us on, each one of us will come through different stages in our lives. God will call us into the next leg of our journey in the appropriate season and He will enlarge what we have defined as safe territory (as I have mentioned in my previous posts). I am not sure what transpired last night in the spiritual realm. All I know is that I need to write this down so that I do not forget. I trust that the Lord will reveal more when I keep my side of the bargain to "walk righteously with Him".
Back to the original question: What's the condition and viscosity of my oil? How fresh is it?
I am working this question out. Any other way would be taking on unnecessary toil in my journey. Life is hard enough already, wouldn't you say so?
The challenge given was: What's the condition and viscosity of your oil? How fresh is it? The message was timely, but what I didn't expect was the Lord's message to me...
The parallels that the sermon brought out were that, spiritual oil can:
- Deteriorate and become stale (e.g. Christians only preoccupied with what God did for/thru them in the past and not seeking what God is doing now)
- Evaporate through neglect (e.g. Holy Spirit gifts if not exercised can get become ineffective)
- Be contaminated (e.g. so-called "Christian" counselling, mixing biblical and worldly/humanistic theology)
- Originate from the wrong source (e.g. God is doing something and church leaders device their own schemes to 'capitalize' on the move of the Holy Spirit through unbiblical and unauthorized means)
- Be adulterated and dilluted (e.g. complacency, procrastination and watering down the call and work of the Lord in our lives)
- Leak away through gaps in our lives (e.g. unforgiveness, pride, rebellion, past hurts and lust choking the work of the Spirit).
"Child, the only way for your walk with Me to survive, is for you to abide in Me".
"Come. Come to the banquet. Before, you were eating crumbs from under the table. Now, feast on all that I have for you. I will be doing a new thing in your life that I have not done before, a road in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. Do you not know it? Let my oil flow in you... where there is oil, there is fire. Where there is fire, there is burning. Your past has no power over you anymore. What is burnt is fertile for soil." (Isaiah 43)
There was a call last night at Westminster Chapel, for people who desired to get more of what God has for them. I normally don't do alter calls. I have only done it one other time in my two years at this church. As the preacher exhorted each person to go deeper with God, something stirred up within me. I am yearning for something more. I do not know how to call it: thrist, hunger, desperation, emptiness, dissatisfaction, etc. - words cannot describe. But I knew in my Spirit that I needed to step out, into what I am not sure.
Even as I shuffled out of my seat and considered whether I should carry my knapsack with me to the 'altar' (human reasoning would say that if I do not take my bag with me, someone may steal it otherwise), I distinctly sense the Lord metaphorically say, "Leave the baggage behind.....".
A take the sandals off your feet moment. Poignant. So I left my bag on the pew.
Epilogue:
God moves us on, each one of us will come through different stages in our lives. God will call us into the next leg of our journey in the appropriate season and He will enlarge what we have defined as safe territory (as I have mentioned in my previous posts). I am not sure what transpired last night in the spiritual realm. All I know is that I need to write this down so that I do not forget. I trust that the Lord will reveal more when I keep my side of the bargain to "walk righteously with Him".
Back to the original question: What's the condition and viscosity of my oil? How fresh is it?
I am working this question out. Any other way would be taking on unnecessary toil in my journey. Life is hard enough already, wouldn't you say so?
Labels: Hardship / Struggles / Pain, Spiritual Growth
Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home / Visit My Current Blog!
eh, tharsis from Msia.
I am glad that u have ur spiritual revival. my uth group in msia is having a similar revival..we believe that God is starting a total revival here in Msia..and us, the Joshua generation are gonna be the forerunners..just wanted to encourage u..cos u encouraged me..Praise God..
be diligent though..we can lose the fire easily..
tharsus5@hotmail.com
I am glad that u have ur spiritual revival. my uth group in msia is having a similar revival..we believe that God is starting a total revival here in Msia..and us, the Joshua generation are gonna be the forerunners..just wanted to encourage u..cos u encouraged me..Praise God..
be diligent though..we can lose the fire easily..
tharsus5@hotmail.com
# posted by 
: July 01, 2005 6:50 p.m.
: July 01, 2005 6:50 p.m.
Hey mate, thank you for being an encourager and continue to be a blessing where you are.
Remember that whatever happens, guard your heart and hang in there - even when you do not 'feel' the fire.
Remember that whatever happens, guard your heart and hang in there - even when you do not 'feel' the fire.
# posted by : July 02, 2005 9:37 a.m.
: July 02, 2005 9:37 a.m.
Tharsis- great to hear what you and group are going through. If you have time, write to let me know in more detail about your church group and what God is doing in Malaysia. March on Joshua generation!
Your fellow sojourner - S
Your fellow sojourner - S
Post a Comment
<< Home / Visit My Current Blog!
Subscription service
Enter your email address below to subscribe to Reflections on Life and Spirituality blog!(NOTE: Please be assured that this will not be used for spam or unsolicited communications)
![[Valid Atom]](http://photos1.blogger.com/img/5/5559/400/valid-atom.jpg "Validate my Atom feed"){kind=small}
