Hi all,
I've
been sharing heaven's perspective these last 2 weeks, first about being
1 family no matter if that family is in heaven or still on earth, then
how the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth, present both in heaven and
earth, and faithfully communicating what the Father and Lord have for
us, and us to them. Today:
If God is in charge then why does He allow such horrible things to happen?
What does the Bible actually say? This week and next are three areas He rarely becomes involved in, unless asked by individuals.
Nature
We
know that God is the Creator, and retains control over His creation. We
are told in Hebrews 11:3 that the Person of the Living Word - the
invisible Word - created the visible realm. Romans 1:20-21 says that He
is Creator and even the invisible things about Him can be discerned by
studying His creation. Jesus demonstrated His Lordship over creation in
at least 3 areas: He commanded wind & waves and they obeyed Him, He
walked on water, and multiplied loaves of bread (plants) and fish
(animals). These 3 acts demonstrate His continued Lordship over the
earthly elements and plants and animals. (We could add turning water
into wine)
Jesus'
demonstrations for the purpose of showing who He is in those moments
does not mean He intervenes nor interferes with nature as a rule. The
balance is Romans 8:19-23 which reveals creation has been subjected to
sin and groans and travails (birth contractions) as it waits for the
'manifestation of the sons of God'. That means the establishment of
Jesus' Kingdom on the earth and the lifting of the curse that
accompanies that Kingdom - the reign of the righteous over earth. We
might say Jesus' demonstrations of His Lordship over creation was given
as a preview of what earth will be like with the curse lifted, but
nothing more than a preview.
This
means there is a tug of war going on between God's creation which wants
to obey God and His people according to how it was originally designed,
and the sin under which it has been placed. The elements of nature
chafe against the burden of sin on the planet and as such groans and
travails awaiting deliverance. This is why there are tragic earthquakes,
volcanic events, tornadoes and hurricanes in which God does not
intervene as a rule.
Even
The Revelation (8:7-13) highlights 2 main natural events that come upon
the earth in the last 7 years of the age - a double asteroid hit, one
on land and one in an ocean. And yet still, man as a whole doesn't
repent. (I have a CD/MP3 series entitled 'The Natural Disasters of The
Revelation' if interested in learning more)
The question as to why God allows natural disasters is found in the short paragraphs above - the earth was not subjected to sin without hope, but like us,
has been promised a time of release from sin. God does not step in to
interfere with this process for what has been set, has been set from
long ago and must take its course.
Families
God
invented the family, making Adam and Eve, assigning stewardship over
the physical planet, meaning my point above flows directly into
families. Adam and Eve first and then to others and eventually to us,
were to share about the Creator and stewardship of creation - Families
are God's delegated authority in the earth by which a mom and dad share
responsibility for passing on stewardship over God's creation, and to
walk with Him and know Him as they walk through life.
When
the Lord and 2 angels had a meal with Abraham in Genesis 18, after they
ate the angels went to Sodom to rescue Lot and his family, but the Lord
lingered behind saying to Himself: "Shall I hide from Abraham that
which I'm about to do, for I know him, and that he will become a great
and mighty nation and raise up his children and his household in the
ways of the Lord..." The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was by a
natural event - the place blew up, most think now the gathered methane
and bitumen and other explosive elements around the Dead Sea were set
off (in natural terms) by an asteroid hit or some other 'spark'. But
again, we see the Lord wanting to reveal facts about a soon coming
natural event to a man. (He would have saved any righteous people if He
could have. Lot and family)
Notice
that the Lord based His reasoning on sharing with Abraham what His
plans were (and what natural event would happen) because of Abraham's
family walking with Him. The reverse would also therefore be true: He would not reveal His plan to (Abraham and family) if the family wasn't walking in the ways of the Lord.
Let
me ask this - how many families who are not walking with God do you
know have God speak to them about what He is doing in the earth, their
community, and their own lives? How much did you know of God's will
before you were born again? If that mom and dad don't want Him, then He
doesn't get involved. To whom does He reveal His ways and plans? Family
members who walk with Him. If you are in Him, you have revelation. If
you aren't in Him, you have no revelation.
Warning: The following 3 paragraphs will kill religious thinking and might cause you to rearrange your priorities
The
family and its members remain the primary way His will is done on earth
- not apostles, not prophets, not buildings called church, not pastors.
That is auditorium thinking brought about by man in the 300's AD that
you've been infected with. God invented mom and dad and children long
before He made apostles and prophets - in fact Adam and Eve, and
therefore moms and dads ARE apostles and prophets, pastors and teachers,
and evangelists to their children. The greatest use of 'the 5-fold'
started with Adam and Eve, and is today a mom and dad living for God and
teaching their children by example and word, how to walk through life
with Him. In our New Testament times that flow of mom and dad 5-fold
extend outward to the larger family of God 5-fold that meets in homes in
a network of relationships. As a result, any charismatic gifts, any
ministry gifts (like 5-fold), any energy/motivational gifts present in a
gathering of believers flows from healthy and balanced believing
families who first live in these things.
My
mom was an evangelist to me. She was my first teacher, pastor,
certainly prophet, and for sure apostle in that she started the work of
God in my heart - followed very quickly by a high school friend, Janny,
who remains a close friend to this day with Barb and me, who was all
those things to us as well. Reset your understanding of 'the 5-fold' and
the gifts of the Spirit. They are first found in families, for that is
what God established first, and all else flows from family.
Over
the years I've seen men and women, husbands and fathers, wives and
mothers, chasing this convention and that conference praying for God's
will to be done, praying for revival including revival in their families
- all while they have spent thousands of their family's dollars and
left their family's for several days to pray for their salvation,
instead of walking in God's highest and best and original call, to be
husband and wife, mom and dad, and being the 5-fold to their children.
And
each person I talked to in detail about their priorities in life
expressed frustration with God because He didn't seem to be moving in
their family. My advice remains consistent through the years - the
primary way God moves is through families, so go and be a family and
leave your religious face at the door - and just be there, living God's
ways and fellowship quietly. God only labels the manifestations of what
He does for our benefit, but being meek and lowly in heart, He doesn't
think in terms of labels and titles, He just does what He does - and
that can mean giving a mom or dad words of wisdom or knowledge, a
miracle for their child, special faith, and certainly they are pastors
and teachers and the rest - BE that person with meekness and humility
within your family.
I've
run out of space this week, but will start next week by asking and then
answering the question: Where is God when children become victims?
Until then, nest week! Blessings,
John Fenn
www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com
New CD/MP3 Series
In
this series John shares some of what the Lord told him during
visitations that explain how the Lord did things like walk through
crowds that were trying to kill Him, and how He walked on water. Also
covered are the effects of God's light in us on the demonic realm, and
the properties of light, how heaven is larger on the inside than the
outside, different dimensions, and so on. The setting is higher laws and
lower laws, and how we can walk in higher ways and thoughts, cause
God's higher ways to dominate our lives, and how to let His peace flow
outward to those around us. You will be inspired and learn how to walk
in higher ways in life, and will look at scripture and yourself a bit
differently, as the Lord sees you and your life and destiny.
Just a word about our On-line Video Bible School
- these classes, so far; Old Testament I & II, Righteousness and
Our Authority in Christ - are a go-at-your-own-pace, no test, investment
in your own faith and understanding of the Word and Lord. Once
registered, your password is good for a whole year so you can take your
time, but as I'm hearing from students, once they start they have a hard
time stopping! Each class is about 45-55 minutes long, so they are in
easy to receive segments...consider investing in a deeper study of the
things of God!
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