CRUSHED GRAPES MINISTRY |
Frank B. Smith, Director, PO Box 3009, Vista, CA. 92085-3009 |
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July 18, 2008
Dear Friends and Loved Ones,
May the all enveloping Spirit of God, in us, surrounding
us, and walking beside us, direct us in paths of fruitful service. And may
we have a good time doing the things He tells us to do. May Jesus, the
redeemer of all mankind, be lovingly embraced by the billions of people
today for whom He paid the full ransom price. May the Kingdom of God come
in all its fullness and the earth be restored to its pre-fallen, pristine
state.
Another believer and I were recently discussing the Monday
feature in our local newspaper, “Earthweek: A Diary of the Planet.”
“Wow! The whole thing is kind of like groaning, waiting for
the coming of the Lord.”
“Yes,” I responded, “but in Romans 8 it is not the Lord’s
coming that will set creation free from its futility and decomposition, it
is the revealing of the Anointed One’s glory in us. We are the agents; we
are His body to bring this about.”
“Huh? How you gonna do that?”
That’s a great question! How are we going to accomplish that for which our Father hopes? When this “bondage to decay” was set in motion because of sin and rebellion, God allowed it because He hoped that creation would one day be liberated, “and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.” We have been given our freedom and are also in process of walking it out more and more.
At what point in walking out our freedom, do we also set
creation free? Oh dear me, more questions.
Be encouraged. The right questions are more important than
answers. We all have an anointing from God, and are taught by God.
Therefore, the answers will always come. The problem is the questions. If
we ask the wrong question, we will get the answer to the question we ask,
but we are unaware that the question is wrong. For example, you might have
a great offer of a new job. All excited you ask, “Father should I stay
where I am?”
You hear clearly, quietly in your inner man, “No.”
You then go ahead and take the new job, thinking that was
the Lord’s direction. Actually, He had a different job assignment He
wanted you to take. He did not want you to stay at your present job, nor
take the new offer.
The solution to asking wrong or incomplete questions is
time with God. Lots of intimate communication and conversation will help
us sort out the good and gracious will of God for us.
Creation brought order out of chaos. The formless void
became ordered and arranged for life. The Garden of Eden flourished. Man
walked with God.
Sin entered and it all began to change. Death was the
verdict for all, but the reversion to chaos appeared ever so slowly at
first. Some lived almost a thousand years after the verdict. Because of
the violence of man, however, the changes became radical and more
pronounced at the time of the flood.
God destroyed all inhabitants of the earth except Noah and
his family. He lowered man’s life span, dumbed us down, tipped the earth,
and continued His wait, hoping for the Body of His Son to set it free
again.
Now, after two days, or two millenniums of the effects of
Jesus’ great redemption, it is time. It is time for the mess to be cleaned
up. It is time for all things to return to order: health, life, longevity,
beauty, kindness, compassion, holiness, even creation itself. What a huge
and glorious task.
If you want some help with this, maybe our upcoming
workshop is for you. In just one week, Saturday July 26, Robert Fitts and
I will conduct another day long workshop. Please let me know if you are
planning to attend. We are suggesting a $30.00 registration fee which
includes lunch, but don’t let a lack of funds keep you away. Also we
guarantee that if the seminar does not help you in your ministry at this
creative time, we will gladly refund your money.
Just kidding. We will refund the money, but not gladly,
because that would mean that we failed in our objective. 9:00 AM, at The
Place, 4168 Avenida de la Plata, Oceanside, CA. Please email or call me at
the above numbers.
Most days, while conversing with God and reading the Bible,
I get a blessing and a revelation. The other morning while reading John
16, I was struck by verse 27, “…the Father himself loves you, because you
have loved me…” The Greek word for “love” here is not the usual “agape” of
God’s love, but “phileo” or friendship type of love. “The Source,” New
Testament is therefore very accurate when it translates this verse, “In
fact, the Father likes you, because you have liked me and…”
This blessed me to my toes. Sure, God so loved the world,
etc., but here, my Father likes me! Abba is not just stuck to love me as
His child, Abba likes me. He likes my company. He likes to hang with me.
Glory to God in the highest, God likes me!
Love,
Frank
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