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 Dr.
John Piippo at 2009 Holy Spirit
Conference - Green Lake
I feel as much as I've ever felt
in my life that I want the gift of
prophecy. The spiritual gifts, signs
and wonders, this conference really
introduced Linda and me to those. Our
very first conference, Jack Hayford was
here, and it was so inviting. I felt
like it was an invitation. I like the
invitation rather than being pushed in,
because there are divers into the river
of God and there are waders. I shared
this with my congregation a few months
ago. I asked, "You know me pretty
well. How many of you think I'm a
diver?" A few strangers raised
their hands. "How many think
I'm a wader?" And everyone in
the building raised their hand. And
it's true, I am a wader. And
I'll tell you, waders don't
like being pushed. We don't. In
fact, I really almost hate it.
That's too strong, but I hate being
pushed. I also hate being judged if
I'm not out there diving. And I
don't mind seeing people dive,
I'm just not, mostly. But the thing
is, I've seen some people who have
dove into the River of God and
they're not even in the water
anymore, and I'm still wading out
into the deeper parts. I'm still in
the water, and I'm going further. I
think that's what counts. Are you
in the water now, or not? I've seen
people dive and it seems to be
dramatic, and that to me, personally,
means almost nothing now. I don't
mind seeing people dive into the River
of God, but I think there are more
waders around than divers. But this
conference allowed me to wade, and Jack
Hayford was the perfect beginning to
that. It's an invitation to come
in; it's not a push. I don't
even want someone to push me in the
lake. I'll go in if I want to. But
look, I'm out in the deep waters,
and my report is the waters are fine,
and I'm crying out to God for the
gift of prophecy. Look at 1 Cor 14:1-3:
Follow the way of love, eagerly desire
spiritual gifts, especially the gift of
prophecy. I take that literally -
especially, desire the gift of
prophecy. So I feel I'm out in this
water deeper now, and I'm swimming
around, and I hear this. And we're
all still growing; we never stop
growing. We're either green or
growing, or we're dying. And in me,
I felt an upgrade in more of a desire
for this. And I think I see more
clearly why I want this gift.
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