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INDEX
Stirring up the
Gift
Are We Living in the Ultimate Untoward Generation?
Its time to
Stir up the Gift... Jesus is coming back!
STIRRING
UP THE GIFT
Please note that
this is a simple message and is not intended as an intense Bible Studies on
the 10 Virgins. I have posted posts on this... the thing is, we need to take
this story and apply it to our lives in are we stirred up? Do we have the
anointing... the oil in our vessels? Are we ready?
Our MAIN TEXT is found in: Matthew 25:1-13 " 1 Then
shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their
lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were wise,
and five [were] foolish. 3 They that [were] foolish took their lamps, and
took no oil with them: 4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their
lamps. 5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6 And
at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out
to meet him. 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8 And
the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone
out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, [Not so]; lest there be not enough for
us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10
And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready
went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 11 Afterward came
also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But he answered
and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 13 Watch therefore, for ye
know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. "
THIS IS ONE OF THE
MOST STRIKING PARABLES IN THE WORD OF GOD, AND HAS WITHIN IN IT ONE OF THE
MOST STRIKING WARNINGS THAT WE CAN BE GIVEN.
The story is about 10 virgins. Many preach that
there were five Christians and five sinners, but a virgin is someone who is
pure and unspotted. A pure person is not a description of one in sin.
NO, the 10 Virgins were all saved actually. They
were all virgins. But not all of them were ready for the call to the
Marriage Supper. The story is a story about the church of the
Lord Jesus Christ awaiting the marriage supper. There is a warning in this
story that seems to be lost today when that time is so near.
JESUS IS COMING!
All had lamps and all were virgins, and all were asleep..... we think we
have this thing figured out but the fact is that the bridegroom did catch
all of them asleep.... THERE IS A SPIRIT OF SLEEP.
Romans 13:11-14 " 11 And that, knowing the time, that
now [it is] high time to awake out of sleep: for now [is] our salvation
nearer than when we believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand:
let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the
armour of light. 13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and
drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. 14
But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh,
to [fulfil] the lusts [thereof]. "
Jesus is coming, His coming is closer now than it was when we first got
saved... the church in these last moments is falling asleep and many are
being corrupted by the darkness of this world. Some that have known Christ
has given into worldly lusts... drunkenness and wantonness.. a last days
sign..... but even more are involved with those last two fleshly traps:
strife and envying.
MANY PROUDLY DISPLAY THEIR LUST-FREE LIVES
ONLY TO BE FILLED WITH JEALOUSY AND BITTERNESS
TOWARD OTHERS. WE ARE FALLING ASLEEP LETTING OUR FLESH RULE.
It's time to put on the Spiritual Armor. Put on
the Lord Jesus Christ. That is how you stay from sinning, putting on Jesus.
Don't let your oil run out.
Ephesians 5:14-18 " 14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou
that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. 15
See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16 Redeeming
the time, because the days are evil. 17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but
understanding what the will of the Lord [is]. 18 And be not drunk with wine,
wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; "
The days are evil, it is time to walk wisely that these days don't take
us unaware. Don't be foolish, the only way to overcome the darkness is
to be full of the Spirit and Light. Be filled
with the Spirit... don't let your oil run out.
ALL TEN WERE VIRGINS, ALL TEN WERE ASLEEP, BUT FIVE
LET THEIR OIL RUN OUT AND FIVE KEPT THEIR OIL FOR THEIR LAMPS. MANY
SIT IN THE CHURCH TODAY WITH NO OIL. HOW ABOUT IT, DO YOU HAVE THE OIL...
THE PRESENCE OF GOD... THE ANOINTING IN YOUR VESSEL?
YOU ARE THE TEMPLE OF THE
HOLY GHOST... IS HE FILLING YOUR TEMPLE? ARE YOU A VESSEL OF POWER, OR ARE
YOU ONE OF THE LOW IMPACT, HIGH MAINTENANCE BUNCH?
Be filled with the Spirit. You need as much of the Spirit of God as you can
get in your life. It is not enough in this life to just get saved and
somehow muddle through life. To be an overcomer you need God and His power
to flow through your life. If you have truly been born again, then
there is a desire in you to seek God. Do it! Remember the
messages to the churches in Revelation 2 and 3. The promises were to
overcomers.
Ephesians 6:10 " 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in
the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God,
that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. "
You are saved by God's unmerited love.. grace, through our faith in Him...
Ephesians 2:8-9 " 8 For by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: 9 Not of works,
lest any man should boast. "
But we need the power of the Holy Ghost moving in our lives. In fact, it
really is not an option...
Acts 1:4 " 4 And, being assembled together with
[them], commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait
for the promise of the Father, which, [saith he], ye have heard of me. 5 For
John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost
not many days hence. "
Acts 1:8 " But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come
upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all
Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. "
You need to be filled with the Spirit! You need as
much of God's presence in your life as you can get. You need to be
revived, excited in the Lord.... with His presence in your life making your
lamp glow brightly. We are to be lights in this dark world, but we can't if
our fuel is run out. Ephesians 5:8 " For ye were
sometimes darkness, but now [are ye] light in the Lord: walk as children of
light:"
Are you
praying? Are you seeking the face of the Lord? Are you walking
in the Spirit? If you walk in the Spirit, you will not fulfill the
lust of the flesh. Are you walking in the Spirit?
Or have you
grown lukewarm through compromise with the world... through becoming weary
in well-doing? Are you lukewarm and the same spiritual temperature as
the rest of the world,
or are you fervent in the Spirit?
The sad thing is that they
didn't know that they didn't have any oil until it was too late. Many sit in
church thinking that they have what they had.... but the joy is gone, the
power flowing through their life has been replaced with either
discouragement or compromise or bitterness and they don't know it.
IT IS TIME TO STIR UP THE GIFT THAT IS WITHIN US
CHURCH... DON'T WAIT UNTIL IT IS TOO LATE TO GET OIL FOR YOUR LAMPS:
2 Timothy 1:6-7 " 6 Wherefore I put thee in
remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the
putting on of my hands. 7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but
of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. "
Sometimes we let the gift grow cold and don't even know it. AND WHILE
WE ARE WONDERING WHAT IS WRONG WITH EVERYONE ELSE, AND IT IS US THAT HAS LET
THE OIL RUN OUT.
Fan the flame on that fire..... we must be filled with the Spirit, be strong
in the Lord to overcome the forces that are trying to overcome us, and we
must have the Holy Spirit moving through us to be effective in these last
days. THE TIME OF APATHY AND PLAY IS OVER..... JESUS
IS COMING.
This is from an evangelical
message preached over 12 years ago, and the message is more needful and on
target right now than it was then. We need to wake up... seek the face of
God, and let Him anoint us with a fresh anointing. We cannot give what we
have not received, and we cannot work this last days harvest without the
spiritual power to be effective. We need the oil in our vessels. Jesus
Christ is returning... this is the 11th Hour...
MARANATHA!
FireStorm aka Jim Coldiron
DO WE LIVE IN THE ULTIMATE UNTOWARD GENERATION?
Acts 2:38-41 " 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized
every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins,
and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39 For the promise is
unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, [even] as
many as the Lord our God shall call. 40 And with many other words did he
testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward
generation. 41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized:
and the same day there were added [unto them] about three thousand
souls."
NAS - Acts 2:40 " And with many other words he solemnly testified and
kept on exhorting them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse
generation!" "
PETER SPOKE TO THE GENERATION THAT SLEW OUR LORD..... BUT I PUT IT TO
YOU THAT WE LIVE IN A LAST DAYS GENERATION THAT EVEN AMONG THOSE WHO
KNOW THE CHRIST, ARE HARDER OF HEARTS THAN EVEN THAT GENERATION.
2 Timothy 3:1-3 " This know also, that in the last days perilous times
shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous,
boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful,
unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers,
incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, "
Save yourselves from this untoward generation. He used the word
untoward. The Greek word for untoward is ... skolios and it means 1)
crooked, curved 2) perverse, wicked, or unfair, surly, froward. That
word means perverted..... twisted from that which is righteous and true.
Surly which according to Wester's means bad-tempered; sullenly rude;
hostile, haughty or arrogant.
We live in a world of rudeness and hostility. People would rather get
their own way and push their way through instead of thinking of others
and what they might want. They are haughty and arrogant. I don't need
church, and I don't need God is the arrogant perverse cry in the world
today. 2 Timothy 3:4 " Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures
more than lovers of God; "
And many times in the church that same last days spirit of Antichrist
still raises up.... I don't need the Word... preach about Heaven and
prosperity only but don't tell us to repent or to seek after God and
spiritual treasures... don't speak about loving others, and a literal
Hell, and denying yourself while taking up your cross, following Christ.
We don't need the pastor, or we don't need to submit to authority.... it
is the spirit of this world that has slipped in on us. We will only go
along with it if it tickles our itching ears... Jesus is on the outside
knocking on our door for us to let Him in. Many have shut God out with
their worldliness. 2 Timothy 3:5 " Having a form of godliness, but
denying the power thereof: from such turn away. "
Peter spoke to an unfair generation; a very perverted generation that
failed to walk the straight way. It is much easier to go to Hell than it
is to make it to Heaven. If you want to go to Hell just do nothing... or
do what seems right to you. Proverbs 14:12 " There is a way which
seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof [are] the ways of death. "
We live in an untoward generation..... men are very adamant about doing
things their own way. We have a government that is many times bent on
fulfilling the Devil's agenda. True bible believing Christians have been
labeled dangerous by many liberal judges, etc. In the land of freedom,
freedom is under fire. Hatred for God and the word of God grows each
year. The spirit that is behind the United Nations will embrace you if
you are Islamic or Buddhist especially. But they think that you are
dangerous if you are Jewish or a born again Christian (fundamentalist
enough to believe that the Bible really is God's Word).
BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE CONSUMED BY THIS PERVERSE GENERATION. YOU DON'T
HAVE TO FALL TO THE APOSTASY OF MUCH OF THE CHURCH WORLD. YOU CAN HAVE
REVIVAL.
Peter was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gave
him the power to stand up to the very ones who crucified Jesus and tell
them you don't have to perish with these others. You can be saved ! We
need to be refilled with the Holy Spirit (renew our anointing with fresh
oil... be empowered) and stand in our communities and tell them that
they can still be saved. God will still deliver, He will still save.
We need an bible-fashioned... not just an old-fashioned... we need a
bible-fashioned, bible-based, Jesus Christ-centered, Holy Spirit-filled,
bringing-us-to-repentance-so-the-power-can-flow-type of revival. Revive
us, O Lord!
About 3,000 souls were added to the kingdom that day.
"Brother Peter, I heard you had a revival over in Jerusalem where they
hated Jesus. How'd it go?"
3,000 souls were added because about 120 disciples out of 500 obeyed the
words of Jesus.
The generation that Peter spoke to truly reaped what they had sown. And
that generation saw the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, and the
scattering of their people across the earth. But they had revival...
those who would believe and repent did, anyway. And I believe that this
untoward generation that we live in shall know the judgement of God. But
we can still have revival. Acts 2:17-18 " 17 And it shall come to pass
in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all
flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young
men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18 And on my
servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my
Spirit; and they shall prophesy: "
We need your Spirit to flow through us again... what will it take? We
need a fresh vision of the cross, and a refreshing of the anointing in
us... we need to seek the face of God in this generation. DON'T GIVE IN
TO THE CORRUPTION... DON'T BECOME COMPROMISED, AND DON'T BECOME SO
DISCOURAGED THAT YOU QUIT SEEKING GOD AND MOVING WITH YOUR OTHER
BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN SEEKING GOD TOGETHER AND REAPING THE LAST
GENERATION HARVEST! WE NEED REVIVED, BECAUSE WE CANNOT GIVE WHAT WE HAVE
NOT RECEIVED!
They had revival and the church broke through the interference and that
is why we are here today. We need an unction from God to speak hope in
the midst of this falling away. Let me challenge you with something, if
we quit saying this won't work and that won't work and that these things
must be (in a spirit of defeat), but instead concentrate on the word of
God and speak that word with an unction, there are many who are just
waiting to hear and respond. LETS REACH THEM WITH THE GOSPEL IN THIS
GENERATION.
1 Thessalonians 1:5-6 " For our gospel came not unto you in word only,
but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye
know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. 6 And ye became
followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much
affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: "
THERE IS GREAT JOY WHEN REVIVAL COMES. REVIVAL IS COMING TO OUR LAND....
ALONG SIDE WITH APOSTASY. YOU CAN GET CAUGHT UP IN THIS PROBLEM OR THAT
ISSUE, BUT THE TRUTH IS WE NEED TO REPENT, OBEY THE WORD AND GET
REVIVED!
We live in an untoward generation, but we don't have to be part of it.
The danger of the church of Laodicea is upon us. We are seeing a
generation that sees that last days spirit that is shown vividly in
Laodicea... let's look at it: Revelation 3:15-18 " 15 I know thy works,
that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So
then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue
thee out of my mouth. 17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased
with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art
wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18 I counsel
thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and
white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [that] the shame of thy
nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou
mayest see. "
Lukewarm.... they worshiped and served God when it was convenient. They
studied and prayed and worshiped and fellowshiped and moved with their
brothers and sisters (the church) to do the works of God when they felt
like it. They felt blessed and increased and apparently touched by God.
But they had lost their edge. Instead of the fire of the Holy Ghost,
they had embers. They had just enough RELIGION to DESTROY them and
convince them that they were alright.
Arrogant.... thought they didn't need anything. Well, we need something.
We need to repent and seek God again so God will revive us again. Paul
told Timothy to stir up the gift or fan the flame of the gift that was
within him. Don't let the fire become lukewarm. ADMIT YOU NEED REVIVAL.
We quote the scripture about Jesus wanting to come in to sinners.... but
actually He was speaking to a church here. JESUS WANTS TO BE LORD OVER
OUR CHURCHES AGAIN !!!!!
Revelation 3:19-20 " 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be
zealous therefore, and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door, and
knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to
him, and will sup with him, and he with me. "
Jesus wants to come in and bring you revival. He wants to have supper
with you. He wants to feed you of the good things from His table. Let
Him be your shepherd and help you.
I believe that these last two churches, Philadelphia and Laodicea
represent two movements we are seeing now. Much of the church world
needs to buy some Holy Ghost eye salve. We are blinded by our slack
lifestyles on the verge of Jesus returning.
The church at Philadelphia was given this promise.... Revelation 3:8 " I
know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man
can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and
hast not denied my name. "
Jesus wants to open a door for us. Let's be like Peter. Proclaim to them
that they can be saved. Let God open up this door.... God give us
revival. Let us be used of you to change the complexion of our
communities. Send the fire, Lord. Jesus is standing at the door.... will
you open? We have to realize that we need Him to come in first. Jesus, I
need more of you ! Will you say to Him, "Lord, empty me out and fill me
with your presence. "
FireStorm
© 2004 by James Dale Coldiron
Copyright © 2004 by James Dale Coldiron and Voice of
the Watchman
Feel free to forward or redistribute as long as
original message text and this Copyright is in intact and
unchanged.
For permission to change to use in another work, please
contact me at
firestorm_five@yahoo.com ... thank
you.
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