New Wine in New Wineskins

New Wine in New Wineskins

By Fred Pruitt

All my Christian life I've heard people say, and I would often be in agreement, that we should do our best to do things like the "early" or "primitive" church. One of the first things I heard from someone close to me was that at His church, "We do things like the Bible."

And interestingly, just like every car dealer who advertises on TV has the "LOWEST PRICES -- GUARANTEED" (something which can't be true for every one of them), most churches will make that claim or at least admit to that as their goal.

I've become convinced that is a completely wrong focus. We cannot reproduce the early church, and though some may claim it, I do not believe the New Testament lays out "how to do church" in the same way Moses was given the pattern for the tabernacle on the mount. That temporary tent gave way to Solomon's Temple, which was destroyed, and then subsequently rebuilt here and there until the time of Jesus of Nazareth when it was updated by King Herod, and then completely destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.

As the book of Hebrews states, that institution, which always was meant to be symbolic and representative of the true temple which is the body of Christ, has been overridden in the once for all sacrifice of Jesus our great High Priest, who interecedes eternally for us in the heavens, thus abolishing any need for the earthly temple and its rites for all time.

The new temple of God is we ourselves, humanity brought back through the Cross into the paradise of God, where the New Testament is fulfilled in us by the Spirit of God who dwells in us, where Ezekiel's word is fulfilled:

"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God." (Ezek 36:26-28)

He has given us a new heart because the heart of man, previously given only to wickedness because of our old master and indweller, has been cleansed and made new since Christ has come into our hearts and now dwells there. And further He has given us His Spirit, the same Spirit that raised Christ Jesus from the dead which now enlivens our bodies and souls. He has taken away our hearts of stone, hearts which had no regard nor compassion for anyone else and sought only to lift ourselves up and feed ourselves at the expense of everyone around us, and replaced them with His own Heart of flesh, which suffers with those who suffer, weeps with those who weep, mourns with those who mourn, and also rejoices with tears at the overwhelming boundlessness of the love and grace of God, which manifests out of our lives not in judgment and criticism of others, but in all things having only one desire and goal: to lift others into the love of God.

And even further, in filling us with His Spirit, He has promised something much more than we can think or imagine or scarcely believe ( because it is so WONDERFUL), because He (GOD) has said He will CAUSE us to walk in His statutes and to keep His judgments and do them. This flies into the face of everything we've ever learned or been taught our whole lives, and shatters into pieces the hundred-foot thick wall of self-pride that guards us all which says, "I will be like the Most High" (Isaiah 14:14), which is self-idolatry at its core, and throws our precious imaginary self-responsibility (which is also known as "our righteousness") into the stinking cesspool where it belongs, so that God may be All in all IN US!

In so doing, He has brought us back into the land of our fathers, the land of Promise, and gives us rest from our labors even while we take up His easy yoke and carry His light burden. Again, we find ourselves incredulous because this stirring in our bellies we have felt for so long but have been afraid to let go, has finally erupted into an outflowing river which we know we were promised in the beginning but we had no way to believe -- for how could we have known? It is exceedingly above all we dared to ask or think!

And here we have come home again, because the Lover of our Souls has taken us into His bosom. We have been made one with the Father even as Jesus is one with the Father. (Jn 17:20-21). THE GOD has become OUR GOD, which means our whole spirit, soul and body vibrates and resonates at every level, from the subatomic particles that vibrate in all the atoms of our physical beings to the intangible thoughts that shoot through our consciousness like the wind -- we don't know where they come from nor do we know where they go. Since He is now OUR GOD, meaning our All in all, our hope, our life, our faith, our desire, our heart, our goings out and our comings in, the government has now been eternally established on HIS shoulders, and we need no more temple, no more sun, no more moon (light from outside us to guide us -- Rev 21:22-23) because now the true Inner Light has come, the Daystar from on High, and has permeated every fiber of every part of us, whether we have realized it or believe it -- or not.

And that is the New Covenant!

This is not some refurbished old covenant, where we are always trying to recreate something which went on in the past. New wine has to be put into NEW WINESKINS -- i.e. new forms to hold and express it. That is why it is impossible to take this move of the Spirit of our time, Christ living in us AS US, and put it into the old forms and traditions of the past. It will only burst and destroy them.

This is a new time and this is the wave of God's spirit for our time. God's people are being raised up to know who they are in a living and conscious way. Not in rigid dogma and complicated theology. Not in more seminars and programs. Not in bigger and more modern buildings. Not in further and further separating ourselves from the hurting people of the world by having a sickening proliferation of more and more "Christian" things, things by which we testify to the world not that we love it as the Father loved it and sent His only Son into it that He might reconcile all things to Himself, but things which testify to the people of the world that we have only disdain for them and we are better and more moral and more righteous than they are and we reject them and all that they do.

This is the time that we throw away the old forms if they have no life in them. This is the time when we dare to believe that we are HE living in the world, and that in all that we do there is a living river of living water flowing out of our midst. We dare to believe that that river waters all the world around us with blessing and with grace and joy. We dare to believe that we are those who lift others up. We dare to believe we are sent not to condemn and put down, but to bring life and to save. We dare to believe we make plants grow in a dry desert -- where it has been impossible for them to grow. We dare to believe that we have no more need for the religious traditions of the past and break out into new ways and new forms which have never been heard or seen before.

What made the "early church" vital and electric and spread like wildfire weren't sets of techniques we can figure out and emulate. It wasn't because they in their time were so close to the original Apostles and Paul. It was because it was a new thing GOD was doing. It was God, living and vital in the PRESENT MOMENT. They had no traditions from the past to draw from, so they dared to believe that like Abraham, everywhere they put their foot God was doing that new thing, that it was their land to possess, and they were free to develop it as the Spirit moved in them.

We don't recreate the early church by trying to figure out how they did what they did and then trying to copy that. We have no need to do that, because God is in us NOW -- TODAY -- to will and to do of His Good Pleasure.

The NEW covenant has no form except that which we give it in the living out of our lives. Now that He has come to make US His dwelling place forever, and to walk in us and be our God, He TRUSTS US -- YES US! -- to put on any skin we please, any dress, any suit will do, and we thus possess the land, and it even now is flowing with the milk and honey of the Lord.

We are walking in the living fulfillment before our eyes of God's promises, that we have been made absolutely, completely, totally NEW CREATIONS, and that now ALL THINGS ARE OF GOD. He has given us a ministry of reconciliation, where we declare to the world that which God has sent us to say, that because of Christ Jesus he imputes no more sins unto men, we say again -- HE IS NOT IMPUTING TO MEN THEIR TRESPASSES (and we dare not hold them in their sins if God does not). This is THE WORD of reconciliation he has sent us to say and to live. (2 Cor 5:17-20) We are the living forgiveness and reconciliation of God in the world. We only open our eyes and our hearts and believe, speaking it out with our mouths and pens.

This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. Holy Holy Holy, Lord God Almighty. Heaven and earth are full of THEE!

The Truth and Good News About Curses

Okay...it's been a long time coming, but the truth must be proclaimed and Jesus must be glorified.

So many "Christians" are living scared, and are hiding, isolating themselves (bunker mentality) avoiding contact . . afraid of one another. Lies are told by leadership in order to induce fear. Wrong doctrines and mind sets are taught. Why? Because that's one way to control. Legalism + fear = control!

It becomes the "Salem Witch trials" all over again! They would judge, try and convict innocents based upon false teachings about "curses." Whenever something BAD happened to someone within the village, they would point fingers to anyone they could convince others that that person is to blame for their trial or misfortune. Stay away from that person! WATCH YOUR BACK! The SCARLET LETTER system was enforced, along with shunning, discrediting, slandering and burning at the stake! Superstition, elitism, unbelief, wrong teaching, fear and lack of the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ were, and still are, behind these evil acts. (And these definitely are not the "Acts" of the Holy Spirit!)

Here's the Good News people of God: "Christ purchased our freedom [redeeming us] from the curse (doom) of the Law [and its condemnation] by [Himself] becoming a curse for us, for it is written [in the Scriptures], Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (is crucified)." ~ Galatians 3:13 Jesus not only removed the power of sin over and within us, but also the system of curses that was behind the Law that He fulfilled for us. In Christ, we become a NEW Creation . . ALL THINGS PASS AWAY, BEHOLD ALL THINGS ARE NEW! This includes not only the dominion of sin, but any curses that come from living a broken law.

Unless, of course, you follow another "gospel." Then, out of your own choice and unbelief, you are "accursed." The Apostle Paul warned in strongest possible way about the attitude of God toward those who would pervert the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We can understand this, as it cost God His only Son, and Jesus a horrible death by crucifixion. He stated:"But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." Galatians 1:8, 9

Okay, so if you feel you are being "cursed," and you are a believer in Christ, I would first look at your beliefs. Is your Christianity based and maintained on your performance? Or is it a Gift from God, rooted and maintained on Jesus' performance? Do you believe in the "If . . then" doctrine of the Law or are you in the liberty of Christ's "Yeah . . .and Amen?" Is it Good News, or fearful existence? ARE YOU UNDER A HEAVY YOKE, OR CHRIST'S EASY YOKE?

Once you've established and walking in the Grace and Truth of Christ's salvation, you will have to then realize that He is ADEQUATE and SUFFICIENT! He is ENOUGH! He covers you, keeps you and you are under His inheritance of blessings, not curses. Our identities must be IN Him and based upon HIS OBEDIENCE and HIS PERFECTION, we have the favor of God, and are blessed, and kept blessed and sin no longer is our master. Therefore, curses cannot "alight" upon you because IN CHRIST you are hidden and there is no cause, no more legal right. You are COVERED by the Blood!

If Christians believe that anyone (believers or unbelievers) can send curses to them, then I would challenge their gospel.

Why do you fear? Why are you so afraid? Is your God not strong enough? Is Jesus IMPOTENT? Is He not your Shepherd?. . . He Who never sleeps nor slumbers? Is He a weak Savior? Your fears mark your blasphemous unbelief in an all-sufficient Christ!! You do not glorify Him. You glorify the Law and your glorify darkness and satan. Hello! You do not have the love of the Father in you as you self-righteously accuse, marking others as "witch" (just as in the Salem era) and believe that they have more power over your life than Christ. Do not follow these doctrines and false teachings that cause such fear and unbelief to rule and control. But, rather, allow the love of God to be shed abroad in your heart. What happened to love your enemies? But you run from each other! . . . and from brothers and sisters in the Lord. So many act like the Pharisees, who avoided defilement by contact. And so many of you try to prevent the powers of slander, but you have already allowed it and have become proponents of the worst kind of slander by listening to leaders who lie and teach this heresy.

Now as far as the cursed doctrine of "Generational Curses" . . . consider and believe this truth that "God shows mercy unto thousands of them that love Me and keep my commandments (which Christ did for you!)" ~ Deut. 5:10 The GC doctrine may sound good on the surface to some Christians but this is a heretical doctrine that suggests that salvation through Jesus Christ is NOT ENOUGH and that somewhere, the born again believer needs deliverance from the generational curses based upon the iniquities of their ancestors. So many are falsely taught that receiving Jesus is NOT ENOUGH to be free from the curses and penalties for iniquities of ages past. THIS IS BLASPHEMY! There is no such thing as a generational curse for the believer in Christ Jesus! Never does Paul or any of the disciples or apostles in the New Testament describe the activity of "breaking generational curses" or even "soul ties" for that matter. It is a false teaching that one must dig and go back into their ancestory "work on" iniquities they have inherited and could "pass on" to their children . . .IN THE LIGHT OF the truth of Deuteronomy 5:10. Here's the truth: PASSING THROUGH THE DOOR OF CHRIST, WHO IS THE GATE AND THE WAY, IS OUR ESCAPE FROM ALL PENALTY OF SIN OR CURSE OR BROKEN LAW AND ALL THINGS BECOME NEW AND YOU BECOME A NEW CREATION . . .ALL THE OLD THINGS IN YOUR LINEAGE, ALL THE GENERATIONAL INIQUITIES PASS AWAY. You are in the NEWNESS of CHRIST! You know OWN HIS lineage. And this why Paul commands us to rejoice!



Hebrews 2:14-15 ~~ "that through death He (Jesus) might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil;"

Romans 8:2 ~~ For the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me FREE from the law of sin and death.

Galatians 3:26 ~~ For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:27 ~~ For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ Jesus have put on Christ.

Colossians 1:12-14 ~~ Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath DELIVERED us from the POWER OF DARKNESS, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son, IN WHOM we have redemption through HIS BLOOD, even the forgiveness of sin.

Now as a side note: Anything is possible with nonbelievers . . . curses, demon possession, etc. The Bible says the unbeliever serves the devil and is a servant to sin. The devil has ownership of them because they have not received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. BUT believers in Jesus cannot have generational curses. Surely only goodness and mercy follow them all their life. Believers in Jesus cannot BE cursed, either, and do not have the power to curse other believers. Christians have authority over the darkness . . the power to bind and to loose. But they do not have power over one another. The Lord is our song and our SHIELD, our HIGH TOWER, and our REFUGE.

We have been bought with a price! ISN'T THE BLOOD OF CHRIST ENOUGH COVER FOR YOU? Do you need to add along with it your fears and cold love? Jesus never feared and He loved even His enemies. Why? Because He knew WHO covered Him. He didn't panic in the boat during the storm. He slept. In faith. . knowing. And then He asked the disciples, "Where is your faith!"

If you are a believer in Christ, no CURSE, no POWER OF DARKNESS can come near you without first receiving permission from the Father. It is impossible. Unless, of course, you are under another gospel. . . the old system of accountability to the Law. That gospel denies the FINISHED WORK Jesus did on the cross. That doctrine instills fear into the believer, making him believe in all kinds of worldly superstition. The devil wants the Christian to live in fear of him and to walk defeated.

Well, all I can tell you is there is a better place . . .called GRACE! And we are MORE THAN conquerors because of what Jesus did for us at the cross. We are not to live in fear of anything or anyone! The Lord protects us and KEEPS US. We are not subject to a curse from any individual or from something in our family 200 years ago. We are new creatures in Christ . . old things have passed away and are now new!

John 8:36 ~~ "If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed."

2 Thess. 3:3 ~~ But the Lord IS FAITHFUL, Who shall STABLISH you, and KEEP YOU FROM EVIL!

Galatians 3:10 ~~ "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them." Gal. 1:8 ~~ "But though we, or an angel from Heaven, preach ANY OTHER Gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed."

Thank God, Jesus Christ has REDEEMED us from the curse of the an unfulfilled law as well as from the power of darkness. If you think anyone has more power than your Savior, I would reconsider which Gospel you follow and repent of unbelief and in an ALL-POWERFUL GOD!

OBLITERATE! Obliterate means to destroy every trace of; wipe out completely . . .mark for deletion, rub off, or erase . . .take out or remove . . .cause to change; make different; cause a transformation . . .remove completely from recognition or memory . . .do away with completely, without leaving a trace!

This is exactly what Jesus Christ has done for us! OBLITERATED all the works of evil and all darkness in and around our lives! That's Good News! What a relief! Be courageous . . fear"less", and full of His Faith and His LOVE. Be radiant and confidently shine His Light! And may Jesus Christ be glorified! Amen

Our Redeemer Lives!

GOOD NEWS!! There is a Redeemer, Jesus Christ, Who lives and loves us. To know this truth is very freeing from the pressure that can come through various ways. The pressure to live up to someone else's standards. The pressure to do everything right! The pressure and heavy load and yoke from those who have no faith in the redeeming power and love of Jesus. Many spiritual performers would enforce upon you their yokes. They want you to believe that whatever decisions you make are final and you must live with the consequences of any wrong decisions. This is not true. In Jesus, He lives and can and WILL redeem any wrong decisions or choices in life. We have a Redeemer! He will fix anything we break. He will make right, anything we made wrong. He knows that we are but dust, and as we look to Him for the answers, sometimes wrong decisions are made, but the Good News is: Our Redeemer lives! The pressure is off! His yoke is easy! And His burden is light! Only unbelieving spiritual performers will put that kind of pressure on you.

Let me give the definition for redeem . . .

1: to buy back : repurchase : to get or win back

2: to free from what distresses or harms: to free from captivity by payment of ransom: to extricate from or help to overcome something detrimental : to release from blame or debt : clear : to free from the consequences of sin

3: to change for the better : reform

4 : repair, restore

5: to free from a lien by payment of an amount secured thereby : to remove the obligation of by payment: to exchange for something of value: to make good : fulfill.

6: to atone for: expiate: to offset the bad effect of: to make worthwhile : retrieve.

Before I became a Christian, when I was very young and impulsive, I made a poor decision. I was foolish and wrong. I decided to have plastic surgery -- breast implants! I wanted to please my fiance'. I had insecurity and I thought the surgery would give me more confidence as a woman.

A few years later, Jesus saved me! He gave me His Light and Life and a New Heart! I believed and I received His freedom, fruit and righteousness. I could SEE! Amazing Grace! Once I was blind, but now I could see! :) And then it hit me! OH MY GOSH! I realized what a mistake I had made having the surgery. I realized that it wasn't God's Will for me. (Please realize that having breast implants is not a sin in itself . . .but for me, I knew in an instant that I made a wrong decision.)

I cried out to the Lord to forgive me. I realized that I was perfect just the way He created me . . and I didn't need to add a thing to His work. :) I asked Him to forgive me. I felt terrible. Now, I will have to live with this decision the rest of my life!

BUT!! THIS IS WHAT THE LORD SPOKE TO ME . . ."Holly, do NOT look back with REMORSE! But, look forward to My REDEMPTION!"

Yes! He didn't shove my face in the error I had made. He didn't even click His beloved tongue at me! He promised me that He would fix it. . . HE WILL REDEEM THE ERROR! And no condenmation . . only tender mercy was felt in His promise. This is Jesus!

It wasn't long after that, and it is a long testimony of a series of events which included a car accident and then surgery to remove the implants . . . as well as perfect precision of the right doctors and hospitals, including the $18,000 paid by insurance! (I would have had to pay for it myself due to the fact that it would have been a cosmetic choice.)

He delivered me! He redeemed me! He removed all remorse . . . all consequences . . even the cost! He repaired! He restored! He triumphed over the decision . . . and even made it better!

If this wrong decision, this error, is redeemable by Jesus before I knew Him, HOW MUCH MORE now, as I walk and follow Him, responding to His Grace and leading, will He cover me from any mis-steps. The pressure is off folks! Look up! Relax! Follow Jesus! And believe, that your Redeemer lives and knows you and will cover you!

Holy Spirit Protection

Spiritual Virus Protection ~ by Steve McVey

I have a subscription to a Broadband ISP for my computer, so that I can use the Internet without tying up my phone line at home. One day recently, I accidently left home without logging off. When I came home at the end of the day, I discovered that my computer had been online all day. My first thought was concern about the many hackers who attempt to access computers these days.


I immediately went to my Firewall Protection program to see what, if anything, had happened during my absence. I was shocked to discover that during the time I had been gone from home, there had been 488 intrusion attempts on my computer. Most of the attempts were of the same type. It was an attempt to introduce a virus called the Backdoor/Subseven Virus, one that allows someone else to secretly gain complete access to your computer, as if they were sitting at your desk in control of your keyboard.


At first, a sense of horror came over me as I thought about someone being able to steal my banking information, personal letters and other data on my computer. Then I saw a statement that gave me an instant sigh of relief. On the status page of my firewall program, it said, “Norton Personal Firewall is protecting your system.” As I explored further, I learned that this program running in the background had protected my computer all day from what might have been a cyber-disaster for me. It had prevented all 488 attacks from being successful!


As I thought about what had happened, the Holy Spirit spoke to me and reminded me that He works in my life in the same way. As Christians, we are targets in the spiritual battle which exists in this world. There are countless times when we would be destroyed – were it not for one simple truth: The Holy Spirit dwells within us and protects us from being destroyed.


As we move about our daily routine, He faithfully works in the background guarding us against the evil intent of the Enemy. There is no way that we could anticipate and be prepared for the great number of attacks that would destroy us if it weren’t for His continuous protection. We could drive ourselves to exhaustion and debilitating anxiety if it were up to us to fight our own battles against the “intruders of this word,” which the Bible calls “powers and principalities, and the rulers of the darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12).


Thank God, we don’t have to worry. We can just go about our daily lives, resting in the confidence that the Spirit of the indwelling Christ is doing what only He can do. He is lovingly caring for our needs to ensure that we are kept safe from spiritual destruction. There is indeed a battle going on around us, but the battle is the Lord’s. Our part is to simply rest in Him, knowing that He has already conquered death and hell and that the victory is always ours in Christ.


A sovereign Father loves you passionately. A compassionate Son guards you jealously. And an omnipotent Spirit protects you continuously. There may be 488 attempted attacks against you in a day, but don’t worry. Divine Life runs through you, always operating in the background of your daily affairs to ensure that you won’t ever be fatally infected.

Hallelujah! Good News!

The Weak Are FIT for the Holy Spirit

The glorious Good News and Truth below by Reinhard Bonnke helps revive what religion kills....

THE WEAK ARE FIT (THEY ALREADY QUALIFY) FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT!!

Being filled with the Spirit doesn’t mean being super holy, and it does not mean you have to spend years becoming very holy and fit for God’s Spirit. If you are weak then you are fit – because the power of God is for the weak. His power is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor 12:9).

You need the fullness of the Holy Spirit. If you are saved, born again, and washed in the Blood of Jesus, you have everything that makes you fit to be filled with the Spirit. The Blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. Do not be misled: “All” does not mean “some,” but every bit, every smear, and every dirty mark, leaving our robes glistening pure and white. We are righteous in Christ, and you can never be more righteous, more sanctified, or more holy than that. In Christ we stand complete and ready.

The power of the Spirit cannot be worked up, pulled down, manufactured, or generated by hard work and much praying. The Holy Spirit does not wait till you sweat before giving you His power. Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you ... Everyone who asks receives” (Mt 7:7-8). Nothing could be simpler!

God only has GIFTS! He has nothing for sale. He has no bargains, and you can forget all about negotiation, haggling, and compromise agreements. He is absolutely unilateral, one-sided; He just gives, and we can only do one thing – receive. He wants nothing from us by way of payment. If you are a dead coal, become a living coal. Now – just ask and receive. Are you ready?

Love, REINHARD

Discerning Teachers, Pastors, Prophets, Preachers

Lately, I've been easily directed by the Holy Spirit to some wonderful teachers and preachers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Lord is giving me clear discernment lately between "performance" preachers (spiritual performers = legalism) and redemption preachers (grace and faith and Good News).

The performance preacher will stress what YOU HAVE TO DO. . .always making YOU the object of your faith. With little help from God, YOU are expected to tow the line and walk that narrow road. Their topics are always about cleaning up your act, "ruthless" repentance, etc. and never focus on the FREE GIFT of Jesus Christ and what has already been DONE on your behalf. One is about YOUR performance. . . the correct one is about JESUS' performance. One has a heavy yoke . . the latter has the easy, light yoke that we are instructed to REST in it's RELIEF.

The Scriptures explain what's behind these false "performance-you-gotta-get-circumsized-preachers". . .the Bible says, the following is their MOTIVATION:



Galatians 6:12 says, "Those who are trying to force you to be circumcised want to look good to others. They don’t want to be persecuted for teaching that the cross of Christ alone can save. 13 )And even those who advocate circumcision don’t keep the whole law themselves. They only want you to be circumcised so they can boast about it and claim you as their disciples."


Performance, legalistic, teachers always want YOU to make THEM look good. They may not even be conscious of this, but it is a mark of a false leader and all of God's people need to beware and alert. Jesus even said to watch out for these leaders who preach another gospel. This false

gospel sounds humbly spiritual. Nevertheless, it's wickedness is revealed in it's lack of fruit and even spiritual death. God is blasphemed so often by these false teachers, as they paint Him as an austere, quick to punish, banish, destroy, reprove kind of God. Not at all the truth about Him. They slander His very character and break the third commandment . . . they blaspheme His Holy Name. And they want to make you IMPOTENT, weak, powerless, ineffective and worse of all . . . completely DEPENDANT on them!! Rather than abiding in the Vine (Christ), their teachings and agendas and twistedness cause you to abide in them!


(Look in my earlier posts for "God Is Easy To Live With" with quotes from A.W. Tozer)


But a Redemption preacher/teacher will always point out the Gift of God, Jesus Christ. He will remind you of what has been done, what has been given and what is promised. He will reassure your faith in a loving and gracious God. There will be no more morbid introspections. No more Old Testament Covenant living, but rather New Testament New Creations! Hallelujah!


Reinhard Bonnke is one of the Redemption preachers I have lately been indulging in . . . Here is a sampling of what he SINGS to all who'll hear:



"THE WILL OF GOD - Christ’s Lordship is not a dictatorship"

Holy Spirit-baptised believers hear God for themselves. Some try resorting to prophecy as a means of telling others what God wants. If God has not fallen out with me, why should He tell somebody else prophetically what I should do? That approach conflicts with what the Bible says: “No longer will a man teach his neighbour, or a man his brother, saying ‘Know the Lord’, because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest” (Jeremiah 31:34).



Before Christ there was no open vision. Prophets were anointed to hear God and to pass on what he had to say. Now, since Pentecost, Holy Spirit-baptised believers hear God for themselves. Many people prophesied, telling Paul what was going to happen to him, but he was not impressed. “None of these things move me,” he said, for he was “bound in the Spirit” (Acts 20:24, 22 NKJV).

Christ’s Lordship is not a dictatorship and the kingdom of God is not totalitarian. Christ emphasised this in John 8:35: “A slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it for ever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” In his letter to the Galatians, Paul similarly lays tremendous stress on the freedom of sons in the household of God.

~~ WOW!

Joy!!! There is such joy in knowing the Truth of the Grace of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It brings such RELIEF! An oasis from the FUTILITY of religiousity and "spiritual performance."I get so tired of the same 'ole, same 'ole messages that reflect the Old Covenant of "trying hard to do what God commands." As a recovering legalist, I turn off now to messages of any kind that endorses this sometimes subtle, yet damaging deception, and very popular form of legalism -- a PERFORMANCE-BASED Christianity.

Legalism endorses unbelief and it minimizes the mercy of God!
The Old Covenant falls short in glorifying the merciful God we really do have! BUT, Jesus IS HIS GlORY!

Legalism is like constantly trying to "get into a room" that you are already in. That's why it seems so hard. Have you ever seen someone trying really hard to get into a room he's already in? What freedom comes when that person realizes that he's already in! Then he can REST and RECEIVE and I know, as a recovering legalist, that person will never want to leave that glorious room. No teaching or mindset or scripture or anything will draw a recovering legalist out of the room of relief and grace . . . he/she is firmly planted. The Truth of God's Grace has set us free from that heavy yoke of OT spiritual performance, requirements and qualifications! YAHOO!

We have the Spirit of God within us (greater is He!) so that we may discern between true and false teaching. True shepherds point to the Chief Shepherd! False teachers are preoccupied with performance. . . using OT Scriptures most of the time. Works righteousness glorifies man! Grace righteousness glorifies God! Grace eliminates boasting ("I have a big ministry because I pray 5 hours every day!" or "God gave me this great job and/or money because I tithe." or "God answered my prayer because I fasted." How 'bout God takes care of me in all ways because of Jesus!

Here's a simple rule of thumb I've learned for discerning teaching: The actual source of all teaching and doctrine is revealed in whom it glorifies. In other words, teaching that emphasizes success through YOUR great discipline or even success through YOUR great faith also tends to aim the glory at YOU. Thus, it is frequently true that faith in faith glorifies your faith, and faith in self-discipline glorifies your self-discipline. BUT faith in God's grace and in the gift of His righteousness glorifies God, because A GIFT CANNOT BE BOUGHT OR EARNED; it can only be received.

Thank you, Reinhard, for pointing to the Good News and the Good Shepherd!

Here's one more "sample" from Reinhard's "Table" . . . .


"The Will Of God - Puppets on a string?"


We have to admit that our own desires do get in the way. We often pray in the hope that what we want turns out to be what God wants, too. If we pray long and hard enough, it will ultimately look as if God complies with our wishes. Some pray for direction until they feel they have it – the direction they had always wanted. Actually, God may have no change of direction for them.Suppose God is silent. What is wrong? Usually nothing! God is silent because he has nothing to say. God does not chatter 24 hours a day. He may be perfectly happy with what we are doing. He does not issue new plans daily and have us all scurrying back and forth like rabbits. It is very important to grasp one particular aspect of this matter – God respects decisions that we make with the intention of glorifying him. God made man in his own image – with a sovereign will. Broadly speaking, he allows us freedom. We are not God’s puppets. Nor do we serve God as slaves, constantly anxious in case we have slipped up somewhere. The Lord makes us an amazing promise: “I will do whatever you ask in my name” (John 14:13).We can see the pattern in Christ’s relations with his disciples. He did not order them about, lording it over them, dictating their daily lives, what to do, where to live or what to buy. He treated them as responsible enfranchised adults, not commanding them to come to heel like unthinking animals. Their status was not one of employees, and he was not their boss or managing director. What boss would wash his employees’ feet? His fundamental contract is to be with us wherever we go and bless the work of our hands. As Jesus did not lord it over his followers, Christian leaders have no mandate to exert Lordship authority over anyone. In fact, Christ explicitly forbade such behaviour, saying, “One is your Master, even Christ” (Matthew 23:8 KJV)."

My Eyes Are On YOU, Jesus!

God has shown Himself true by telling the future before it came to pass. He has promised us that Christ Jesus will return and will gather those who are Born of and Sealed by the Holy Spirit and are New creatures . . . Believers in Christ Jesus as their Righteousness and their Covering. Who have put their hope and trust in His perfect performance. . . His perfect Life and sacrificial death.

LOOK UP! Your Redemption is nigh. . . .even at the Door!

Mark 13:29 ~ "Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door."

VICTORY IS YOURS, JESUS!