March 6, 2008

Faith is not a now and again thing; faith must be one of the constants in each Believer’s life. " We walk by faith...," therefore to move from one assignment to another requires another word of what I identify as a word of revelation. A revelation does not necessarily require that it be something totally new– something that has never been heard or known before. It might just be as I have defined revelation: "Seeing for the first time what you have been looking at all along." If we do not see and hear things in a different light, then we will not hear "Him that speaketh," and when we are not hearing, we will not receive the faith necessary to go on from glory to glory. That is when and why the life of most "Christians" ceases to be a walk and becomes a life lived in a circular rut.

That brings to my mind a picture of the circular rut carved into the ground around the old cane grinder–carved by the hooves of the animal, religiously bound into a form that exacts the same behavioral action–day after day.

May I say, the Bible, or more truthfully, doctrines derived by religious leaders, are the harness into which most church people have been strapped. Any sense of joy and freshness that they might have experienced in their beginnings, evaporated as quickly as they came. Now, the only thing for them to do the remainder of their lives is to be faithful. While faith can produce faithfulness, faithfulness cannot produce faith. Faith is generated by hearing "Him that speaketh."

Lacking faith, the Believer neither individually nor corporately can ever receive revelation, and without revelation we cannot proceed from glory to glory. In this case, I would define glory as the recognition and the exaltation accorded us as a result of our living out the revelation.

No hearing of Him who is speaking means that there will be no revelation, and where there is no revelation, there will be no glory.

Lest your religious teachings cause you to immediately reject the notion that it would ever be proper for us as individuals to be accorded glory by others, let me ask you, "How then will people inquire of you as to who and what are responsible for your greatness?"

I not only want to receive recognition from men, I also want to be recognized by the spirit world. To me, one of the greatest signs that I am impacting the religious system is their criticism and false accusations. On the other hand, to be ignored is an insult.

I believe that I am making an impact in the realm of the spirit; both of angels and demons. I place great significance in the fact that while I functioned in the office of the pastor for many years, I never had so much as a thought that angels could somehow be involved with my life, yet from the time I began to function in the office of the apostle, angels have been seen standing with me in the preaching of the gospel of the Kingdom. Because of that, there have been and continue to be associated with me signs, wonders, and miracles. Therefore, it stands to reason that there would also be a corresponding reaction from demonic spirits.

Following my recent ministry in Florence, Alabama, there appeared two ads in a local newspaper, each placed by local ministers. Both men charged me with being a false apostle. I take their accusation as a sign that I am successfully attacking the religious systems in that area, because I lay their charges to demonic influence.

I know that such a thought will be a cause of embarrassment to those that think it is far better to find a way to cooperate with those who deny the power of God than to charge them with being children of the devil. How then do they understand and deal with the statement of Yahshua when He addressed the Pharisees and the Sadducees as the children of their father–the devil?

Being one of those who are under the mandate of Yahshua to bring forth an on-going and viable manifestation of not just another revival movement that fades as quickly as it blossomed, but of the Kingdom of Yahweh and His son, whose Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, it should be understood that my life and ministry will evoke responses from demonic spirits.

I have no desire to be on good terms with leaders who will neither go into the Kingdom, nor will they permit others. I want them to know that I am their worst enemy. If that be the way that it is, then I know that a host of spirits–some angels, some of the spirits who have gone before me, are now positioned from the other side to oppose what I oppose from this side.

Let the Ekklesia know that we are not alone in this battle and that those who be for us are greater in number and power than those who be against us. We have at least two angels for each demon (fallen angel) that is with them. And then there are the spirits of just men made perfect, who have allied themselves with all who will, like David, take the battle to the giant.

Like the Israeli tank general who responded to Bert Clendennon’s question as to how the general could be so positive that the Egyptian tanks would not reach Jerusalem: "They are not coming here, because we are going there."

In my memory, I can see them now, though most of their names, due to lack of continued use, have for the most part been forgotten; nevertheless, I have never forgotten the vital role they played that Sunday night of October 10, 1953. Ours was not a long relationship. That was due in part to the disparity of our ages; I was one month away from my 24^th birthday anniversary, and not yet a father. They were, I am sure, at least twice my years in age and fathers of children as old as I, and as is usually the case, I began to forge relationships with those of my age. However, I would be remiss if I did not recognize those older saints who took Shirley and me into their hearts, under their arms, and into their homes. I hope that Cola Kent knows how much her conversation with us around her table, with coffee and freshly baked cake, contributed to our lives then and became one of the building blocks of the life we have enjoyed these now more than fifty years.

Oh, you want to know who those were of whom I speak? Well, as I said, I can recall only one or possibly two names, but they were the people who received me as I, in response to Pastor Obie Harrup’s invitation, walked to the front of the auditorium and to the altar of Full Gospel Tabernacle (First Assembly of God) on South Patrick Street in Alexandria, Virginia.

Unknown to me until later, Shirley had followed me to the front of the church where some ladies received her, just as the men had received me. We were coached in our words of repentance, as well as in our confession of sin and prayer to receive Christ as Savior and Lord, and finally in our vow of commitment to serve God. Our hearts were sincere, and though neither of us experienced any great or unusual signs or wonders, our lives began a turning around.

I can only imagine what our lives would have been like, had those people not been there and had they not assisted us. But let’s suppose they had been there that night and afterward they began to excuse themselves from being in attendance; I like to believe that we would be where we are even if they had gone back. But who knows?

There are way too many of you who, if asked, "Where do you attend church and who is your minister?" would respond, "The Rock of Panama City is my church (Ekklesia) and Apostle F. Nolan Ball is my minister." Yet the truth is, you seldom attend, and when you do, you do not participate, even in singing, unless we were to sing, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus," and you would have little understanding of what I am preaching, because where you are is where we were–a long time ago.

Perhaps in your past you invited other members of your household–a husband, a wife, a son or daughter, a grandchild, a neighbor–to come to our services with you and perhaps you for a while prayed for their salvation, but that was a long time ago and if this week they experienced something that drove them to their knees, your inconsistence has been so obvious to them they probably would not even seek your help. Does the thought of that embarrass or anger you? I hope so.

Some think you are "soooo faithful" when in truth you are more miss than hit, and cannot be depended on by anyone. If a member of your household were in desperate need of spiritual help, would they come to you?

Have you by your inconsistency destroyed my ability to speak to your loved ones?

Are you one who is so inconsistent that if everyone of us were like you, it would only make sense to shut down everything?

If everyone else paid tithes and gave offerings like you, could we do more, or would we need to do less?

All of us cannot be smart, all of us cannot be beautiful, all of us cannot be rich, but everyone of us can be dependable.

I am asking every one of us to assume the attitude that it all depends on me. The services I miss will be only when I cannot be present. If nobody else prays, I will. If nobody else comes early and remains to the end, I will. If nobody else brings the anointing, I will. If nobody else enters His courts with thanksgiving, I will. If nobody else sings with gusto and prays fervently, that’s alright–I will. If nobody else comes prepared to joyfully pay their tithe and generously give, I will.

This is the kind of person I want to be, and by His grace, the kind of person I am. I invite you to come along with me and let us dare to see what Yahweh can do with a people like us.

I’m going. You coming?

One only has to step outside to be assured that the month to which our calendars are turned is March, and as I sit at my desk writing, the whistling sound I hear assures me that at this moment, the wind has not abated at all, since I came inside.

A few minutes ago, in the spirit of my mind, I found myself reminiscing about my short career as a brakeman for the Richmond, Fredricksburg & Potomac Railroad, better known as the RF&P. All that was needed to whisk me up and take me back to that happy time–1954–was the sound of the whistle of the Bay Line Train announcing the arrival and delivery of today’s desposit of many items ordered for use here.

I cannot state absolutely that Adam was a whistler, but neither can anyone prove that he was not, so because this is my writing, I choose to adamantly declare that Adam was a whistler. How else would he have summoned his dog? Or better yet, how would he have communicated to Eve that he thought she was a knock-out?

From the earliest times, in all societies, man has harnessed air to communicate, and for thousands of years, before the birth of technology, it was all he had.

The first musical instruments were whistles of reed used to produce melodies created by the player who was able to manipulate the passage of air to produce a sound so that the natural ear could hear what first existed in the spirit of the player.

To me, the way in which man is most like Yahweh is exhibited in his ability to speak by pushing air across his vocal chords. In this way, man is able to communicate his greatest thoughts and his deepest feelings.

Why, knowing these things, would anyone have been unbelieving when on that first Pentecost there came a sound from heaven–as of a rushing, mighty wind, that filled the whole of the house where the one-hundred-twenty obedient ones were sitting and waiting for the promise of the Father, the Son, and the prophet.

No other response than that which came from each one of those one-hundred-twenty could have satisfied heaven or earth. Without any teaching or exhortation, those individuals were giving human expression to the wind-like presence of Holy Spirit, and they were speaking in tongues. The wind of the Holy Spirit filled that house. The wind of the lungs of those one-hundred-twenty filled the city.

Knowing what I know and understanding the tactics of our adversary, the devil, he began to attack the one thing against which his kingdom cannot stand. Armed with the ability to pray in tongues and with the power of wealth, no kingdom can stand against us. Give me one-hundred-twenty souls praying in tongues and enough consecrated money, and we will shake this city. The time is at hand when the human powers of other cities will dread to hear: "Those who have turned the world upside down are coming here."

I am asking you to be one of the one-hundred-twenty people who will gather in our balcony by nine o’clock every Sunday morning to do one thing: fervently pray in tongues for one hour. When we do that, we will, under apostolic authority, begin to receive the wealth we will need to fill the earth with His manifested glory.

We shall begin this Sunday, March 23. There could not be a more fitting time: the giving of our First Fruits and the celebration of the fact that Yahweh, our Heavenly Father, received the resurrection of His First Fruits.

You can be a skeptic and wait to see or you can be a believer and choose to act.

At the time I was in the first grade, our family lived in a house which had at one time been a parsonage for the Methodist Church pastor. I have a number of vivid memories from that time. It is as though from time to time I can hear again the whistling sound on a cold day, caused by the wind blowing around the front, left corner of that old house sitting on brick supports, about four feet off the ground.

Today, I am hearing a sound in my spirit; that wind is blowing again.

Having now been in Christ for more than fifty-four years and having been fully involved in church (Ekklesia) life all of that time, with almost the whole of it as a full-time leader, I have been both an eye witness and chronicler, and afterward, a commentator on the events and the personalities that shaped at least the outward appearance and the behavior of those of us who in our living have been the only witness by which the world can examine the heart and soul of "Christianity."

The period of the church in which I have lived would best be characterized as the Pentecostal era, followed by the Charismatic. If the Charismatic era came into existence through the confluence of several streams of thought and various organized and codified expressions of Christianity, I would now qualify that what was once a powerful stream has now come to be more of a swampy quagmire in which many have been hopelessly lost and forever separated from living life with a purpose. Others are yet carefully trying to find a path that will lead them to a place with some solid footing. Surely somewhere beyond this murky existence in which they find themselves there is, even now, a river beginning to form, the streams of which will make glad the City of God.

In the history of the church, I think that the Charismatic era excited its participants with a hope greater than anything before. Whereas other movements had been divisive by their very nature, this movement, from its birthing, brought together, at least in fellowship, understanding, and respect, practically everything that classified itself as "Christian." But, eventually the doctrines, dogmas, and religious politics proved to be stronger than the force of Holy Spirit’s drawing together. So, when preservation of the past became more important to ecclesiastical leaders, whose positions of power and control were being threatened, they began to find reasons to undermine the whole charismatic movement, with the result that most people’s "boats" settled back to exactly where they were when they were first raised by the streams of this movement, to be able to see over the walls of separation.

Where its participants had expected a victorious shout, it all ended with hardly a whimper. Where an explosion of Holy Spirit in world-shaking proportions had been prophesied, there was only a harmless and barely noted fizzle. No other era of the church left more confused and bewildered souls.

I am very careful in saying so, but from my observation both as a participant and a leader in the charismatic movement, we, more than any entity, emerged out of the confusion of that time with a clear sense of direction and purpose and because we understand our past and our present, we have a very sure and confident sense of direction for our future.

I am amazed and humbled by the prophetic time-line I see in my own life as I use prophecy and the spirit of prophecy to interpret the events of my life–especially in the last forty years.

It is as though Holy Spirit began to separate me from the herd until I found myself alone in a wilderness–a prophet, a voice, a message–with no audience other than myself. If the physician must validate himself by healing himself, it stands to reason that the apostle must first govern his own life before he can lead, and the prophet must first prophesy to himself about himself, and thus mark the path by which he himself will be delivered from his wilderness, along with those who have heard a voice crying in the wilderness, and sought until they found the source. Thus have the Elishas found their Elijah and the sons their father.

Here, I am lifting the very words which Yahshua spoke with reference to John the Baptist and applying them to myself. Not you, but some will abhor the very sound of my name because I do so. Let that be left to them. You who have forsaken all to follow me will find great consolation and hope in these words. Read them, asking Holy Spirit to speak to you.

Now, I speak and write by the Spirit of prophecy that is in me: Understand, it is the Kingdom that is suffering violence; we are unfortunately caught in the line of fire, as the anger of the religious is always directed toward those through whom the Voice is heard.

Now, I prophesy to us–myself and my sons and to all who are joined with us: "Because you have been faithful in little things, I am sending to you great things. You have been faithful in little wealth, I am now prospering you in great wealth. That which had required years to gather will now come to you, wave after wave. You will reap where you have not sown; where you have sown little, you will reap much. That and those whom you have sought with meager success will come to you with overflow. I will bring to you your sons and daughters whom you have not known, but because they are of the same spirit as you, you will not receive them as babes, but as full-grown in the spirit. They will bring with them their gifts and their assets; they will lay themselves and their resources at your feet. You will be able to accomplish in weeks what has until now required years; you will accomplish in a few years what you had planned for your entire life.

"I will make you the head. I will make you leaders. I will multiply your bread for eating and your seed for planting. You will be above, not beneath. I will glorify you, because I will rest in the place prepared for Me in your presence. I will save your children and your children’s children for generations to come. Many will rise up in their time and bless you who are a generation because you have chosen to serve Me."

AMEN. --Written by F. Nolan Ball, March 25, 2008