NARROWNESS OR
ENLARGEMENT?
by John C. Miller
Once again God will manifest Himself in this world with what may be the last, but greatest, move of the Spirit among the Gentiles. News will come from everywhere that will fill us with amazement, and through these events something very important will happen within us - enlargement of our hearts, of our concepts of God, and of our ministry. The prophet said in Isaiah 54:2-4, ''Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; for thou shall brake forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles,... Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame:...''
His Spirit compels us, because if we are not enlarged, we won't be part of what He wants to do. I believe that a greater miracle takes place when God frees a man of his religious narrowness than when He heals someone who's blind or paralyzed. Religious narrowness is surrounded by solid theological and doctrinal concepts. In spite of knowing something of God, His ways, His thoughts and the way He works, we are still very narrow. However, God is able to transcend all barriers.
What is one to do when there are conflicts between the heart and mind? How can one know what is seen or heard as being an indication of a new breath of God on the Church? Is it of the Lord or is it a crude imitation of Satan? Does it have to do with a move of God and the fulfillment of Jesus' words? We read in Matthew 24:23-25, "Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or, there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before."
THERE WILL BE CONFLICTS
Often our first reaction to conflicts is we feel that it's
better to hold on to the known, even if it's bad, than to go
after some unknown good. But what happens if the heart says yes
and the mind says no? Sometimes we are confused because what we
think is contrary to what we feel. However, it is necessary not
to be too cautious if we want to reap fruit, because as time
passes the opportunity to either sow or reap will be lost. We
must believe without falling into an excessive caution that
quenches the Spirit of God. In John 20:29 we read what the
resurrected Jesus said to Thomas, "...because thou hast seen
me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and
yet have believed." Remember, those who are against any new
move of God are generally those who have experienced a previous
revival. I know very well what is at risk: quenching the fire
that comes from God by an obsessive caution pretending to protect
a healthy doctrine. Should one wait a month, a year, or a decade
to determine if a revival is true? Will there be such an
opportunity? One must listen to the voice in one's heart. It
shouldn't be that you look back years later with bitterness and
say, "If I had only been more flexible, how much blessing my
ministry would have received!" Many times, looking back,
I've had to repent for not obeying "the still, small
voice" in my heart.
HISTORY ALWAYS REPEATS ITSELF
Jesus said in Luke 11:47, "Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them." Church history teaches us that the memorials of the men of God were built with the same rocks that were used to stone them.
Undoubtedly, there will be more than one Nicodemus. That is to say, those who come secretly at night, to either listen, or to criticize, or to watch or to learn, but always from a distance, thus avoiding a real commitment.
Jesus came to announce the way of salvation to the world, a way that shocked the mindset of the religious Jews who expressed their disapproval by saying, "This is not from God!"
LIFT UP THINE EYES
We must rise above all that limits us as the Second Coming of Christ draws near. At the end of the Gentile era, thousands of Gentiles will be converted. The prophet declares in Isaiah 60:4-5, "Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee."
If you have experienced glorious revivals in the past, either in your church or in your nation, you will surely remember the internal conflicts that you had to suffer until you could embrace the truth of the new revelation. As Jesus well said in Luke 5:39, "No man having drunk old wine straightway desireth the new: for he saith, The old is better."
But now the Lord is inviting you to drink of the new wine!