Achille’s Heel: A vulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
In this nation which is the feeder of the Western culture around the world, there is much that is excellent. However, no matter how spiritually powerful a nation is, an Achille’s Heel can result in its destruction.
My feeling is that a very serious vulnerability in the church of America is that of intellectualism.
I’ll intentionally wear my emotions on my sleeve here for a moment. As I travel and speak on living a revelation driven life, and coach people and ministries on how to live moment-by-moment via the ever present voice of God, I have discovered something. The huge majority of people are visibly lost when I teach on this. This rips at my heart terribly.
Over the years, I have realized that this majority has within its group another majority. While some of them desire to hear God prophetically (and the number is increasing rapidly), many actually rise up in resistance with an offended heart. The idea that others are living their lives via additional senses, and they are clearly under the influence of something unseen, causes those who wrestle with that type of encounter driven life to shrink back, or even to strike back!
For me, I struggle with the overwhelmingly dominant attitude of living primarily via logic and what can be understood and explained in a simple outline. God, in His depth, simply cannot be limited to this type of interaction.
Look at this scripture:
Ephesians 4:17-24 (NKJV) 17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
We are to be taught by a Spirit! We know the Holy Spirit searches the deep things of God and reveals them to us! Our minds must be renewed, which means the end result is a very different process of handling revelation. To explain this, I often talk about the groans and the dings.
Groans happen when we are in a place of walking in the spirit, in deep intercession, praying in tongues and being controlled by the Holy Spirit. We usually don’t know how to intellectually explain what’s burning and stirring within, but you can’t deny that it’s God, it’s powerful and it’s very real.
Dings happen when the groan marinates and burns and simmers within, and the revelation begins to take form in a way that we can impart it to others. When we teach and disciple from ‘groans turned dings’ we are imparting deep revelation into people.
Now, we must train the body to also receive truth and impartation this way! I can’t explain how frustrating it is to sit in a service, hear some good stuff, maybe even hear a bit of a ding yet have no life, no groan, attached to it. Our teaching services must, must, must transition from making intellectual sense as a primary goal to resulting in cries and groans to erupt in the pews!
Leonard Ravenhill was one who majored in the groan! Dry, dusty Bible colleges are filled with those who major in the ding. Are both dings and groans important? Yes! However, many are tempted to start with the ding and then hope the groan eventually comes. I propose we do it in reverse! Acts chapter two style!
There is little better than being in a room with several hundred others flat on our faces crying out to God– groans that can’t be uttered rocking the building. Then, the prophetic word of God slams us with great force and precision.
Dings– the intellectual explanation of scriptural truth– rarely erupt into a massive outpouring of Holy Spirit activity. However, deep groans of the Holy Spirit will ALWAYS result as dings of Heaven ringing in our inner man!
I propose a reformation in our churches, in our Bible school classrooms and in our cities. In the Western world most look for a church that will give them good teaching. Something they can put in their pocket and take home with them. Let’s discover the mystical, intimate, experiential reality that so many in other cultures have known for centuries. God is real, is spirit, is communicating and must be discerned spiritually!
In Romans 8 we see something interesting:
Romans 8:25-28 (NKJV) 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. 26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
We often hear about “all things working together for good”. But, we usually take it out of context.
Here’s the process:
- vs 25: we understand there is an invisible realm that must be discerned
- vs 26: the Spirit must be involved if we in our weakness are to experience victory. He moves supernaturally deep within us, and the reaction of our flesh with the invisible realm is an indescribable groan. This a common reaction of spirit invading the fleshly realm.
- vs 27: the Holy Spirit reveals the deepest, most profound mysteries of God as only He can. It’s only the groan that can result in the transfer of spiritual truths. This doesn’t require a ‘sound’ necessarily, but it will be experiential as the Holy Spirit does the work of translation in our inner man.
- vs 28: Then! Only then! Then we will see all things working together for God. Why? Because we can only love God via the Holy Spirit! We are only surrendered to His calling as allow the intercessor to invade our flesh and intellect, and then come into agreement with it!
Bottom line– we must gain revelation not only information. Dreams not only data. Transformation not only teaching. Intercession not intellectualism.
The next time you are in a Bible class or a church service, certainly have your note pad in front of you, but by all means be praying quietly in the Spirit, and if you can, pace around the room and lay on your face and let God burn the message that’s being delivered by a Spirit-driven messenger into you!
Yes, a reformation must come, and the groans must sound.
