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WhiteDove Ministries July 2005 E-Newsletter WhiteDove Ministries July 2005 E-Newsletter FROM: Paul Keith & Wanda Davis Shawn Bolz The Printed Word by Paul Keith Davis Nothing did more to accelerate the Protestant Reformation than the invention of the printing press. The 15th century Guttenberg press provided a much more efficient circulation of Martin Luther's German translation of the Bible and his many other writings. Mass distribution of spiritual truth was birthed. The written word continues to be a compelling tool to convey the message of God's Kingdom. This is especially true with the incredible forms of media now at our disposal. With it there is an equally important need for spiritual discernment to recognize His voice in the great flood of information being distributed. I am often humbled and challenged by men such as A. W. Tozer who, because of extreme hardship in his youth, did not enjoy the privilege of a formal education. Even so, this Holy Spirit taught man of God discovered the clarity of God's voice in the quietness of his soul. He developed a powerful standard for conveying principles of truth with simple but attractive language. With only the Holy Spirit as his Teacher, Tozer became a keen theologian and master wordsmith. He did so by literally reading God's Word and other classical works while on his knees. He became a trustworthy steward of God's message. His works stood out as beacons of light in the midst of a dark generation and continue to do so today. Despite his humble beginning, Tozer was recognized in 1950 with an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Wheaton College and eventually pastored Southside Alliance Church in Chicago, IL for 31 years. Copies of his written material number in the millions and continue to circulate throughout the Church, imparting insight and illumination into the higher life in God. Because of the permanence of the written word, fruit continues to be generated to his spiritual account long after his death. The Early Model The early church was likewise established on apostolic preaching AND apostolic writing. The apostle Paul in his epistle to the Ephesians stated, that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit — Ephesians 3:3-5 A revelation was entrusted to him that he conveyed to the Church in written form. It was through the constant referral to this message that the Church began to understand the mysteries of Christ and God's plan for mankind. We now have the complete canon of Scripture known as the Holy Bible. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. Even so, our understanding of it remains limited in comparison to the great wells of Truth it conveys. Men and women of God continue to be moved by the Holy Spirit to capture the Kingdom message for their generation and divulge it to the Church at-large. Daniel Webster once said, "If religious books are not widely circulated among the masses in this country, I do not know what is going to become of us as a nation. If truth be not diffused, error will be; if God and His Word are not known and received, the devil and his works will gain the ascendancy; if the evangelical volume does not reach every hamlet, the pages of a corrupt and licentious literature will; if the power of the Gospel is not felt throughout the length and breadth of the land, anarchy and misrule, degradation and misery, corruption and darkness, will reign without mitigation or end." Each generation is granted progressive expressions of God's revealed word and hidden manna pertinent to the spiritual needs of the time. Therefore, each generation must be saturated with its own preachers and writers who, like A. W. Tozer, discover God and His Truth on their knees and communicate that message to the needy of their day. The Anointing That Teaches In my own personal experience I can recall countless occasions when just the right book would come into my possession to answer spiritual questions I posed before God. Oftentimes, I would read a passage of scripture and begin the quest for understanding. Invariably, the Holy Spirit would direct someone to broach me with a book written by Maria Woodworth-Etter or Kenneth Hagin or some other leader who walked intimately with God and understood the principles I desired to comprehend. According to the epistle of 1 John 2:27, As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him. The Holy Spirit is our Teacher but He uses the agency of man to convey His message. He allows us the privilege of cooperating with Him in the advancement of His Kingdom through both the spoken and written word. When our words come from an atmosphere of the anointing, they are saturated with spiritual life and very powerful. That is the admonition of scripture. Our Mandate We feel that a portion of our ministry mandate is to help individuals cultivate their ability to communicate their revelation through the spoken and written word. Furthermore, psalms, hymns, spiritual songs, poetry and other forms of creative arts are also emerging to impart truth and awaken a generation. It is our hope and prayer to devote considerable attention to the subject of literature and communications over the next season. For that reason, the Lord willing, I would like to address the craft of writing and discerning true spiritual communication over the next few newsletters. We have only just begun the journey of understanding God's Kingdom and relaying that message to His people. To do this adequately will be a lifelong quest. Nevertheless, with the Lord's help, we will share how we began in this important area and the love the Holy Spirit has given us for the articulation of His Truth. Small Beginnings Because of the damage done by hurricane Ivan, Wanda and I were forced to place our personal effects in storage while repairs were being performed. Ivan the Terrible came ashore on September 16, 2004 and we were finally able to return on July 4, 2005. Over the years I have accumulated a rather extensive library of Christian books, tapes, DVDs, periodicals and other written material. This occasion has given us an opportunity to go through many of the old materials that we have not reviewed in many years. Interestingly, I found the first article that I ever wrote that was circulated in a public forum. It resulted from a rather liberal commentary that was published in our local newspaper. I wrote a "response to the editor" from a Christian and conservative viewpoint. As a result, the newspaper contacted me and asked if I would write a full length article on the subject as a contributing columnist. I had not planned on that but the Lord used it to birth in me a desire to articulate His heart in written form. Despite the fact that I had no journalistic training, I agreed to write the column. It was published in The Meridian Star on August 19, 1989. Of course, at the time, I had no perception that I would eventually write several books, booklets and articles that would be published. I am thankful to the many people who have helped us in this responsibility. I thought it might be interesting to re-circulate the article as it appeared in the newspaper, because of the prophetic truth that was communicated and also as an encouragement to those desiring to write spiritual truth. According to the Scripture, we should not despise the day of small beginnings. Naturally, there are many improvements that I would like to make on this article. I have since learned many of the fundamentals involving the craft of writing since this article was first published and am determined to pursue greater excellence still. Nevertheless, I continue to believe the essence of the message that was conveyed. It was a small beginning but one that I pray will continue to develop to advance God's cause in the earth. I believe there are many people throughout the Church like A. W. Tozer. They have no real training but love God with all of their hearts and desire to share His truth. For them, the quest for truth and the pursuit of God are one and the same. Our admonition is to simply lay our gifts and talents on the alter of faith and allow Him to use us in ways that transcend our own abilities. Real Battle Lies with Forces of Hell The Meridian Star— August 19, 1989 By Paul Keith Davis, Contributing Columnist Before December 7, 1941, the American government did not fully appreciate the very real threat that Japan presented to us. On that date in a 110 minutes surprise attack, the Japanese fleet destroyed eight battleships and three light cruisers, destroyed or damaged 188 planes and killed 2400 men. The bombing of Pearl Harbor provides a perfect illustration of the damage and destruction that can occur when we do not recognize our adversaries and take the necessary steps to do battle. This same principle applies for both our individual lives and our society. We must identify our adversary and the instruments used. We find that drugs continue to be a consummate warrior robbing the youth of America of the vigor and energy and creativity that have made America the greatest country in the world. In his book, Megatrends, John Naisbitt states that "we are drowning in information but starved for knowledge." It seems that our society has been overrun with facts about the drug problem in America. However, it does not seen as though we are being armed with the knowledge with which we can do battle to defeat this deadly enemy. We find it extremely difficult to understand the forces that would bring the youth of America to drugs, robbing America of a portion of its potential. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was a success mainly because we as a country were not prepared to do battle. This same principle applies to the battle that is being waged within ourselves and in our society. We must recognize that we are in a battle, and with whom we battle. On a recent national news program, our Senator Trent Lott, stated that the "people of Mississippi are very clear in their statement and beliefs concerning the burning of the flag of the United States of America. They don't like it; they don't like it one bit." Our country was founded on Christian principals supported by a constitution reflecting those very principals of Christian belief and human rights. As a symbol of the foundation, the flag of the United States was constructed. I submit that the driving force behind the United States of America, the one that makes our country the greatest country known to man, is the very foundation and principle upon which our country was first founded— Christian doctrines and human rights. I find it a dangerous concept for us to waiver from these foundations and destroy the symbol created to illustrate to all the world that those principles separate us from a country like Russia. It is my belief that the smallest revelation of God's wisdom is a more value than the greatest deliberations ever made in the councils of man, and such enlightenment becomes for us wisdom of the first magnitude. The Bible states that our battle is not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers; one who comes to us with incredible cunning to steal, kill and destroy. Our enemy's purpose is to rob us of the quality of our life, the happiness of our family, and the unity of our home. His purpose is to destroy the very country whose foundation is the Church. Our enemy has no consciousness or conviction other than to see the happiness of people destroyed. Our battle is with the forces of hell, whose sole purpose from the beginning of time has remained unchanged. His instruments for the purpose are drugs, suicide, and destruction of principles, political aggression, abortion and many others. The Scales of Heaven Will Be Established In the Prophetic Movement By Shawn Bolz I had a vision of two large scales of justice and they were weighing prophetic people against truth. Many people were not weighty enough to measure rightly, and the Lord had to add Himself to their side of the scale so that they weighed rightly against truth. If they did not receive His measure then they would fail greatly in one area or another that would disqualify them for a season. God's desire is not to discount people hungry to grow in revelation, but to establish them in truth. The Re-release of a Credible Voice in the Land There is a maturing process affecting the whole corporate movement of those who would speak in the name of the Lord. Just like when a teenager becomes a young man he is no longer allowed a level of childish behavior by society; the society of this world is demanding a level of maturity from the body of Christ because there has never been a time that people need to hear the word of the Lord more than now. The world is longing for credible voices to release prophesy that help set the context of faith for our generation to believe what the Lord is doing. The word of the Lord for encouragement and comfort may not be rare in some churches and a few movements but warnings and true discernment are not as present. When they are, they are so generic that it's hard to decipher if we need to even pay attention to them; Not to mention the fact that the word of the Lord is virtually unheard in every aspect of society outside of religious ministry. Where is the voice that brings order to the political arena? Where is the Spirit of Revelation for those in the entertainment industry? Where is the prophetic word for business and industries? The world is waiting to hear what God would say, but the Lord is going to have to bring a growth spurt for those who would listen because right now eyes that see with Heaven's agenda are rare. The World Needs Trackable Words That Hold Real Information If you are a pastor, prophet, apostle, or leader over people who are stewarding prophetic words, learn to develop a track record for them now…it will be the difference between life and death for that prophetic voice. One of the greatest weaknesses to growth in the prophetic movement is the lack of tracking specific information given in prophetic declarations, which means there can not be a learning process or repentance for mistakes. There also isn't the benefit of establishing credibility for success. Most of what we honor is reputation that is not based on accuracy or kingdom impact, but on charismatic personalities and fame. I know there are many well known credible prophetic ministries out there but God wants a multiplication of these. He wants fathers and mothers to nurture the real thing. Serving Mike Bickle in Kansas City for many years has been so beneficial for me because he only likes the real thing and he has an ear for it. After observing me giving dates and time frames in prophetic words he asked me "How often are you accurate?" "I think I am mostly accurate," Was my pitiful reply. Mike looked at me and put forth a challenge. "I want you to track every date you give for the next year whether individually or corporately. Take record of it and go back and ask whoever you need to if it happened." I took his advice and after tracking for about two years of revelation, I realized that I had not only been wrong a few times, but the way I was operating before I began to track my words left people with the responsibility for my wrong words. Meaning if I give a word to you and it doesn't happen and I have a credible reputation you will probably not blame me for the word being wrong. You will either blame God or most likely yourself. The prophetic ministries need to take false responsibility off of the people they minister to. When someone is at the beginning ten years of their prophetic ministry, it is their responsibility to track prophetic words as those receiving the revelation. If we give a corporate word about something that is going to happen and it does not, we must take it on as our responsibility to apologize or even in some cases repent. As we begin to create a system of tracking in the prophetic, we are going to be able to measure together an accuracy that will go well beyond what we are seeing now. Not because the words are higher, but a whole corporate people can be moved into a realm of faith that is much higher because of their trust for those prophesying. How Do We Let the Lord Measure? Why are we giving platforms for people to address the prophetic issues that have no prophetic experience that is weighed and measured? We need to reserve what we stand behind for those we trust. This trust can not be given because of personalities and great use of puns and riddles called prophecies. I am not being critical but realistic. If I claimed to have a healing ministry but could not show you anyone who was healed through my ministry, how would I be trusted to be brought into a healing crusade when people who will come will be so desperate for the heart of God to come? If you see prophetic ministries in your midst giving revelation without established trust for the proof of their words, then there needs to be a weighing process. How do we weigh each other in prophetic ministry? 1) By Character and purity 2) Personal integrity 3) Tracking the verifiable revelations given 4) Relationship Responsibility Contrary to popular belief the prophetic ministry is a relational ministry. Words we get are given in relationship to the Spirit of God who is the Spirit of friendship. If words are given that are inaccurate it will break down relationship with that person, group, or even region of the earth. This means that for every prophetic person who uses the excuse of rejection to hide behind so they don't have to have real accountable friendships, they are handicapping the fruitfulness of their ministry. Also, it means to restore relationship there has to be a rebuilding. That rebuilding might be as easy as an apology but it has to be taken on. If there is going to be a great maturing then there is going to have to be a kingdom process of building. Too many people are not listening to revelation in our generation for lack of credible voices. There is a cry in hearts that is calling for the real God. The land is crying out to hear God, to see what He says about terrorism, about natural events, about politics, about finances, about families in crises, about disasters and calamities, about wars, about love. A Cloud of Confusion God has been allowing a cloud of confusion over some ministries who will not allow a weighing process to revelation or who are falling short but not taking on the anointing of His nature in a sincere way. This is a prophetic statement. Many who have not been prophesying with a right measure have been allowed by heaven to be in confusion and their words have caused the same. If I prophesy about California saying earthquakes will come one day because of the great sin with no specific hope given or understanding imparted, all that I am doing is creating a context for shame and fear. Let me tell you one story: One church I was at in Florida had received a word that Florida was going to receive an earthquake that would destroy middle Florida (where they were). It had no date and no reason why but came from what they thought to be a credible voice. Why would God speak such a word of judgment or even warning without the voice of Heaven's love and hope setting hearts ablaze with the truth of His purpose for the earthquake? God speaks so that we have a greater ability to build His love on earth not so that we have secret information for self protection. When I asked them to ask the prophetic ministry how many words he had received that were accurate over natural disasters he replied "None." He had prophesied over ministries with accuracy and used that same authority to prophecy in this area of natural disasters but in fact he had no authority in this new area for himself. Part of the confusion that many are walking in comes from not understanding spheres of authority that God has called them to. This is especially true with intercessory prophets. Many of the prophetic voices who have been prophesying to the body have been actually setting a context to pray by sharing possibilities of what might be. This is totally needed but when its not understood for what it is then it creates confusion when their words they spoke don't happen. So You Declare a Thing So It Will Be Established I believe that God is about to establish the declarative ministry of the prophetic in such a way that when it is spoken by someone who has anointing and relationship with Heaven it will be done on a level that will blow the world away. There are a few ministries that have a declarative voice, but too few. I believe that warnings and discernment is about to come forth that if heeded will change the outcome of some situations in the earth that have been overwhelmed by demonic agenda. If we don't begin to prepare the wineskin of the prophetic to sustain credible revelation then how will we hear these messages in the days to come? Its time for the voice of heaven to be heard! Application So we have diagnosed some issues and also pointed to the Lord establishing His own nature within us so that we can weigh rightly. I want to delve further into this subject, and will be writing more extensively next month. God wants to train and mobilize us in a more mature way in revelation and the prophetic gifts. As we continue to explore this maturing process, I pray that the grace of God will be with you for both the maturing process and the mistakes that we will make to get there. Until next month, may He, the Spirit of Revelation, increase in you! Shawn Bolz — officeiburn.org SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: We would like to announce the arrival of Malaika Harvest Toledo, born on June 30th weighing 7 lbs and 19 inches long. She is the beautiful first child born to Jonatan and Jennifer Toledo and we congratulate them on the arrival of their little gift from the Lord! Upcoming Meetings Paul Keith & Wanda Jul 22 - 23 Oakland, ME - Co-hosted by Apostolic Resource Center and WhiteDove Ministries 203-934-0880 www.thearcenter.org Jul 26 - 30 Red Deer, Alberta Canada - Frontline Worship Centre 403-887-3313 www.frontlineministries-int.com Jul 31 - Aug 05 St. Louis, MO - Prayer Link of St. Louis 2005 (341) 521-6525 www.communionchurch.org Shawn Bolz Jul 22 - 23 Waterville, ME - with Brian Simmons Contact officeiburn.org Jul 26 - 30 Red Deer, Alberta Canada - Frontline Worship Centre 403-887-3313 www.frontlineministries-int.com

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