Higher Ground

[Christ's Free Servant]

What has happened to the passionate God Chasers? Is there none left who will rise and stand for the King?

When will we let go of the distactions of this culture and find the truly extream adventure of serving Him with all we have in this short life?

Danika Anderson

Danika,

There are many of us out here. We are here, scattered throughout the world and the USA, waiting for the time when God says "Enough is enough" and he changes the course of history for this world, and he releases his servants to "find the truly extream adventure of serving Him with all we have in this short life." He is setting the stage, and when the time is right, he will give us our marching orders. And, he is going to use us to help many, many people find their way to Him. I believe he has been saving us for "such a time as this."

[Guest yod]

(whiteshores&beyond @ Sep 9 2005, 09:48 PM)

What has happened to the passionate God Chasers? Is there none left who will rise and stand for the King?

When will we let go of the distactions of this culture and find the truly extream adventure of serving Him with all we have in this short life?

Danika Anderson

Why do you assume that no one is? All you know about people (here or elsewhere) is what they let you know.

[dakota190]

ovedya,

do you have any knowledge in the belief of reincarnation? because that is what you are promoting in lifing up the song by stevie wonder. i have studied extensively in the past the false doctrine listed above. be careful lest you be led astray.

this paragraph is directed to some of those that replied to you ovedya, not to what you stated.

considering the debate that is raging in some of the replies concerning denominationalism. first, while we spend precious time fighting amongst ourselves (not knowing exactly what every church is teaching or experiencing) the devil is laughing his head off. while we are sniping each other we are not fighting the devil effectively. personally i attend a non-denominational church. we are not against denominations, we believe in what the bible says, ONLY what it says. if a denomination or home study is wasting their time criticizing us for that, then they are not spending enough time studying the word of God. if however you are following a different Gospel other than the one taught by Christ and the apostles, remember paul? (formerly saul of taursus) then we are concerned for your salvation and we will resist you and pray for you, that God will lead you onto the correct path.

God Bless you and may God help you deal with your anger and issues against the church.

[Ovedya]

ovedya,

do you have any knowledge in the belief of reincarnation? because that is what you are promoting in lifing up the song by stevie wonder. i have studied extensively in the past the false doctrine listed above. be careful lest you be led astray.

this paragraph is directed to some of those that replied to you ovedya, not to what you stated.

considering the debate that is raging in some of the replies concerning denominationalism. first, while we spend precious time fighting amongst ourselves (not knowing exactly what every church is teaching or experiencing) the devil is laughing his head off. while we are sniping each other we are not fighting the devil effectively. personally i attend a non-denominational church. we are not against denominations, we believe in what the bible says, ONLY what it says. if a denomination or home study is wasting their time criticizing us for that, then they are not spending enough time studying the word of God. if however you are following a different Gospel other than the one taught by Christ and the apostles, remember paul? (formerly saul of taursus) then we are concerned for your salvation and we will resist you and pray for you, that God will lead you onto the correct path.

God Bless you and may God help you deal with your anger and issues against the church.

Dakota,

Respectfully, brother, I am not promoting reincarnation, and I personally don't believe that the song I quoted does either. But either way - whether the song promotes reincarnation or not - the intent of my post was to simply use the song as a springboard to help encourage the saints, and to help direct them away from so many worldly cares, to view Christ!

Is it your desire to turn this thread, which was written with the simple and pure intention of building up the Body of Christ, into a debate about what I was supposedly "promoting" by quoting a song from Stevie Wonder? And yet you argue that we are spending too much "precious time fighting amongst ourselves."

Indeed!

[Openly Curious]

I've listened to the song, "Higher ground" by Stevie Wonder many times in the past few days. It just accurately reflects where I am right now.

Higher Ground, by Stevie Wonder

People, keep on learnin'

Soldiers, keep on warrin'

World, keep on turnin'

'Cause it won't be too long.

Powers, keep on lyin'

While your people keep on dyin'

World, keep on turnin'

'Cause it won't be too long.

I'm so darn glad He let me try it again

'Cause my last time on earth I lived a whole world of sin.

I'm so glad that I know more than I knew then.

Gonna keep on tryin' till I reach the highest ground.

Teachers, keep on teachin'

Preachers, keep on preachin'

World, keep on turnin'

"cause it won't be too long.

Lovers, keep on lovin'

Believers, keep on believin'

Sleepers, just stop sleepin'

'Cause it won't be too long.

I'm so glad He let me try it again

'Cause my last time on earth I lived a whole world of sin.

I'm so glad that I know more than I knew then.

Gonna keep on tryin' till I reach the highest ground.

I know there seems to be a lot of pseudo-spirituality in this song, but I view the lyrics as being very accurate in terms of the attitude that believers should have with regard to the world.

In this song, Stevie Wonder seems to be trying to say, "Look, everything that's going to happen is going to happen. The world is going to keep on turning the same way that it always has been turning. But you and I, we've been given a very special gift. We have a hope in something more eternal. It won't be too long until all of this is going to pass away. So what are you going to do with the gift that you've been given?

The last verse of the song goes, "Lovers, keep on lovin'. Believers keep on believin'. Sleepers, just stop sleepin'. 'Cause it won't be too long. This is an exhortation to those who are listening, rather than a factual statement of how things are in the other verses. The other verses are saying, "This is how things are," but this last verse is telling us what to do. If you are a lover of the Lord Jesus, then just keep on loving Him. If you believe in Him, and the eminent day of His return, then keep right on believing. But if you are a sleeper - if you do not know the mercy, grace, and love afforded to you by God in Christ Jesus -then you need to wake up. Because it won't be too long before He comes back.

I was on the boards all day today with a very heavy heart. I was struggling to write something, anything of value today. There seemed to be something constraining me. Not only can I not come up with the right words to bring encouragement and building up to the saints, I can't seem to type properly. Already it's taken me about twice as long just to type these few paragraphs as it normally would. And many of you saints know that I have a tendency to be very long-winded.

I guess right now I just feel like the direction this world is going is getting many of us off balance. The political and social turmoil of this age has many of us in bondage. As if it's not bad enough that money, lust, lukewarmness, and just plain wishy-washy doctrines have invaded the church with vigor in the past 10 or so years, and kept many of the saints in bondage, we have to contend with so many other distractions.

Children get trapped by "youthful lusts," after Paul's own words. Adults get caught up in "mature lusts," in my own words. Christians think that it's warranted, encouraged, and righteous to get involved in so many political and social spheres. Of course I would not prevent them from doing so. But there is a vast difference between knowing of something, and becoming so engrossed in that thing that it becomes your idol.

Children idolize some of the worse things imaginable, and so do some adults. But most adults don't stop to consider all the things that take the place of Christ in their lives. They confuse physical maturity with spiritual maturity. So they brush aside the notion that the nightly news, political commentaries, conspiracy theories, the so-called "vast left-wing (or right wing) conspiracy," etc. could ever be an idol - or even a distraction. But you talk to some folks and all they seem to be concerned with are the various issues, issues which they believe are "effecting the church." No one want to just talk about Christ anymore. You know the irony of this is that many Christians and some preachers are so caught up in talking about the issues that are affecting the church that they don't realize that they are affecting the church! Not in a positive way, but in a negative way. They are not anymore immune to these distractions than we are. In fact, I believe that many prominent Christian leaders feel that it is their commissioned duty to get involved politics.

I have to admit that I am not remotely innocent. I have let so many things become great distractions from Christ. These issues surely weigh heavily on my mind, and they trouble my spirit to the uttermost. So much so, in fact, that I begin to lose contact with the Savior to whom I owe my very life! I have become so weary, so bone weary of these things that I fall into despair at times. It is at these times that I seem to be the most keen of the Lord's asking, "Where are you?" like He did with Adam in the garden.

When we take a step back and see what the church is today, can we say that it is anything like the first century? The saints then were just filled with Christ. So much so that they had the audacity to proclaim the Lord's victory in the face of certain death, and they had the boldness to speak the truth to those religious hypocrite who killed the Lord. Remember our brother Stephen?

When we examine the situation in the church today, can we rightly say that this is what Paul invisioned for us when he wrote his epistles? These letters written by the hands of a man who had been tortured by Jew and Greek alike, who had been scoffed at, rejected, scorned, insulted and humiliated, have only one single purpose and goal: That is to establish and build up the Body of Christ. But instead of using these letters for our building up we are using them to tear down, to tear apart, to divide. The Lord Jesus grieved over Jerusalem. How much more then does He grieve over the churches today?

You know, someday we are going to reach that higher ground. That is our hope. Heaven and earth will pass away in the blink of an eye. But what about right now? We can reach a "higher ground" right now. We can rise above all of these idols and act like the rightful inheritors of the promise given to a man called from a nation of idols. As children of Abraham, as inheritors of the promises of God in Christ Jesus, we can become more than that we have been called out from.

Saints. Where are you?

Much Grace,

~O

a higher plain than I have found Lord lift me up and let me stand by faith on heavens table land a higher plain than I have found Lord lift my feet to higher ground

this brought some comfort

OC

[DeepCalls2Deep]

I haven't read most of the posts on this topic but just wanted to add my echo that The Church - that is all of us - need to re-establish ourselves in Christ. There is so much more to being a Christian than warming a pew. There are God chaserspresent and active in The Church, but lets all seek to waste our life to see Him glorified. There are no simple answers but we don't need the answers, we just need to follow His will.

Good topic ovedya

DC2D

[cag7800]

I am so Homesick, I can hardly stand it.

I too am homesick...I am so tired..i said this this to a non-beleiver the other day,she looked at me like I was nuts..I told her i know you don't understand,but when you know what lies ahead and you know the Master,you realize this wicked world is not home and we are just passing through.I just want to lie at His feet and weep.

Beau,

I understand completely.

Where exactly are we?

Jason Upton has a song called ,"Fly". In that song he is singing from the standpoint of God. He is proclaiming to the Church that the Lord God has given us the Air. One particular verse goes like this;"You've been fighting that ground warfare for a very long time, sticking out your fists and fighting. I've given you the air so Flyyyy."

Brother I share your feeling of heaviness. Kind of melancholy? I believe it is the time in which we are living. So much to be distracted by. The Saint feels he has so much to lose. When really he can only gain.

"Ever think the Great Commission is just too great the cost? Ever play the fool"?" This is our Highway to heaven, Our American Dream."~ Jason Upton.

Where exactly are we?

Brother you have indeed said something of value today. Thank you for Loving Jesus.

Peace YBIC,

Dave

We stand for the King. I am a Daughter in the House of the King, sealed in the Blood Covenant with the shed blood of True Jesus.

I am so Homesick, I can hardly stand it.

Clio

[RebekahDavid]

bump

[RebekahDavid]

bump

[cjrose]

That is so right on and exactly the thing I've been going through and trying to explain. The Holy Spirit is so strong, I can't feel my feet touch the ground. My mindset has changed. Believers, keep on believing!! AMEN!!

Love this post

Thank you