The Church of the Beyond, vol. 6

Life

By Benjamin F. Hoogterp

Paperback: 334 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace ((December 24, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1470010429
ISBN-13: 978-1470010423
Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 x 0.8 inches
Release Date: 12.24.12

Available on Amazon.com.

Description:

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. John 17:3 Ever wonder what makes the difference between having church and having church? I mean, those glory times, where everything seems fresh, clean, and like God’s presence is there as something special, unique, and real? What is it about the special and unique touch of the Spirit that makes every time life-changing? This is life, to know Him and to make Him known. There is no other purpose, there is no other destiny, and there is no other calling. Giftings may come or go, but only through Jesus do we come to know the Father (John 14:6).

A man asked Jesus what it took to be perfect. Jesus responded, do the commandments. The man replied that he had, and Jesus said he lacked one thing, that he was to sell all, give to the poor, and follow Him. You see, you can’t get anywhere without His heart, you have no life in you if you do not have His, His name, His Character, His Will, His desire. It is in giving everything, absolutely everything, that we receive Him, for we must live as He lived, and walk as He walked. In doing this, we show that we are His disciples, and we will abide in His love.

It wasn’t for a show, and it wasn’t for an institution that Jesus died, but He came and lived as a man for men, that we, men and women, might know His true love, be set free from the deceptions of this age, and come to know true life, Eternal life, Himself. For, there is life in no other, nor is there salvation in any other name than Jesus Christ. Whoever believes on Him shall be saved, and all others shall be damned, even as the scriptures say, in Mark 16:16. For to one, He says come, and he comes, and to another do this, and he does it. The greatest key to life could be summed up in one of Jesus’ statements, saying that all of the Father’s commands lead to life. Even the command to the cross, though it went through death, lead to life, and we live today because of it. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Matthew 24:14

The Gospel of the Kingdom is not complicated, nor have been any of His commands.  They are simple and plain to all who have understanding.  Too simple, perhaps for some, and yet, in all of our modern culture, they are perhaps the most overlooked texts in our church society.

Consider.  Everything is taught on, and yet we still seem to lack the gripping power when we speak as Jesus did, and the people were amazed at his teaching, teaching as one with authority.  We lack the heart and character that he had, often settling for a production and an entourage, rather than a heavenly following.  And, we lack the demonstration of the miraculous

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Sitting outside a local church, my heart is given to wonder, to probing…

The same people go in, depending on the denomination, with the same bondage a, the same types of meetings, and the same level of emptiness, depending on the “brand”. And, I think to myself, where is the hunger? Where is the need to touch the Lord? To sense His presence and be consumed in His goodness?

I wonder, some, have we thought God right out of the church? Have we settled for less than what He has offered, and I so, why?

I refuse to think that he Gospel age had something we do not. I refuse to believe that some special grace is waiting yet to be released, so that we can be with Him. For 2,000 years, it is finished, and God has given all He needs to and It has been ours since then, to whomever would believe

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But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Ephesians 4:15

For, God has made Christ the head of all things for the church.  He is above everything of this natural order, higher than every name, title and authority that can be given.

The foundation of God’s throne is righteousness and justice, and as God has ordained that this world be governed by kingdoms, the basis of all real things is done through the nature of authority and responsibility.

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I just love teaching. Oh, my. I–I–I think it’s wonderful. It gives the basis and settles the church.
And in preaching, now, there’s some people that are preachers. They can pick up the Word with inspiration, and sway It out there in places. That’s watering the Seeds that the teacher has taught. See? Now, you got to put some Seed in first, and then water It. And the watering comes from the preaching of the Word.
There’s a great vast difference between a teacher and a preacher. See? It’s two different gifts of the Spirit altogether, two different gifts. And I humbly say this, but I haven’t a gift of either.

But mine, as of usual, is praying for the sick. That’s what the Lord called me to do. And then, in this time it gives a relaxation of my mind to study on something different, not having Divine healing services, just–just teaching the Word. And oh, we get along pretty good here. We… I remember, you put up with me for a long time, about twelve years around here, on it.

–William Branham, The Seven Church Ages (54-0512 p16-19)

The Bible is clear when it comes to judging the motives of one’s heart out of our own fleshly, soulish pride.

 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

Luke 6:37

Unless by the Spirit the Lord reveals the heart of another, the fate of another, or the motives, we must not give way to soulish judgment, wisdom of the flesh, or the like.

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I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

John 10:10 (portion)

The beginning portion of this verse says that the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.  Jesus said that He came not only that we might have life, but have it to the full!  The moment we begin to think that in some way, that this fullness of life has anything to do with this life, let us remember the apostle John’s words.

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

1 John 2:15

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In the depths of poverty, in the realms of despair, no matter what it seems, He is there.

By faith alone we stand, against the storms and the dregs, no matter what the devil unleashes, because of Christ alone, I live.

There is a saying that goes like this.  Faith is faith when God has you out on a limb, sawing off that limb, and the tree falls. And the limb, severed, remains aloft, with you on it.  A Faith walk is not described as walking across a gap where you see no bridge, it is walking off a cliff when you don’t see the other side.

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[The following is a letter I wrote to a friend, with a few edits for privacy]

Let me say this:  I appreciate your position, and I am not particularly in most of the camps that you might expect.

Summing it up, I hear about four main statements in your email.

First, there have been many different positions and view regarding holiness..  Which you cataloged quite well.

Second, you really don’t care which one is most doctrinally correct, but are sick of the compromise in your own heart and unless it can help with that, you’re not satisfied.   You said, “All I know right now is that I’m bound to sin and I don’t know how to get out”.

Third, You’re sick of the crap (scripturally, “dung”).  You want to know the experiential love, experiential forgiveness, and experiential cleanness of heart.  No more hypocrisy from yourself or others.  You want the real deal.

And, finally, the question of how to know anything arises.  “The only way I will know or anyone on this earth will know is if God shows us personally.”

I think some of these questions are proper place of a heart for your condition.  Let me remind you, however, truth is a person.

Let me present my Gospel, if you will…

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He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel.

Psalm 103:7

Whenever you first meet a person, all you can ever see at the outset is their outside.  You can see their works, how they present themselves, and where they choose to be located, things like that.  You can see how they permit access or do not to their life.  We know from experience that there is a whole inner world inside, but we do not see that at the beginning.

From the outside, all one could see was a white-linen fence with one gate.  To a person who was not standing at an altitude, you could see the smoke rising from within, and smell something of the incense from the holy place, but the inner workings were unknown.

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That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore.

Matthew 13:1-2

The crowds came to Jesus.  Thousands had heard of the miracles following this man.  This man, who was God, had the wisdom of the Eternity within His heart, and He chose to take a moment to go out to the lake.  Perhaps He went out to pray in a quiet place, or possibly to rest for a moment, but, whatever the reason, the crowds surrounded Him until He was pressed on every side.  While the masses swelled, He entered a boat and taught them, while the people came.

Everyone wants the miraculous, the signs, wonders, and miracles, but who wants the reason behind them?  We want the power, but who wants the man?  We want the demonstration, but who wants the price he paid?

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