16. April 2012 · Comments Off on Do Something! · Categories: Bible Teaching

Friends & Partners of McCanless Ministries:

Susan and I appreciate your love, prayers, and support. We want to keep you updated every few weeks or so with what’s happening at McCanless Ministries … praise reports, uplifting teachings, special offers, free downloads. We trust this is a blessing to you. Again, we especially appreciate and desire your prayers. Three times in Scripture, the Apostle Paul said, “Pray for us.”

1Th_5:25  Brethren, pray for us.
2Th_3:1  Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:
Heb_13:18  Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.

Pray also for the open doors of utterance … the ones the Lord would have us to go through. Our schedule is not as busy as we would like, but the ministry is expanding and growing. Our God is faithful. The finances are also coming in to allow us to go to any church of any size without any financial pressure on that congregation or pastor. The Lord spoke to me in the past, that He would bless those who bless this ministry … and the finances are here … and are coming! Will you agree with us?

This week we have a special offer. It’s a new CD … a teaching CD … “Do Something!” This month, everyone who orders it will receive a free CD of our live Easter Service Music. This CD includes a medley of “Celebrate,” Hosanna,” and “Jesus Is Alive & Well,” along with “Watch The Lamb” and “He’s Alive.”

Do Something!

“Do Something!”  is a teaching that explains some astounding statements that Jesus made in Luke 16. He said the children of this world are, in their generation, wiser than the children of light. The people of the world, sinners, are wiser than Christians, than God’s people? Jesus said that? What did He mean? Does it have to be that way? He also said in context, for you to make friends of the unrighteous mammon … or the world’s money. Again, astounding! We’re not to love the world; we’re not to trust in uncertain riches; we are to trust in God. But He said to make friends with the worldly money system. What did He mean? He meant that we are to do more than just pray and use our faith in God, and then just sit back and wait on God to bless us. We are to do something! He gave us the keys of the kingdom. The Scripture in Matthew 16 doesn’t say they’re the keys to the kingdom. So many misquote that. Peter got revelation from God. Jesus said that gave him keys. That’s not just for Peter, but it’s for anyone who receives revelation from God. Jesus said that’s how He’s building His church. Are you in His church? Then the keys are also for you … anyone in His church. And what do you do with keys? You lock things and unlock things. In the King James Version, Jesus called it binding and loosing. The Greek words for binding and loosing have many meanings, but in context, the closest meanings are, locking and unlocking. That’s what you do with keys. You allow access or you prevent access. Simply put, the keys of the kingdom are the promises of God, more specifically, the revelation of the promises … made real to your spirit by the Holy Spirit … God’s Word given to you. And you know it’s for you because you’re His child and it’s His provision and promise. So, with His Word, you are allowed access to His promise. You receive it into your life by unlocking it … by receiving it. Or you bind the devil’s activity … any demon … any opposition … you lock it … you prevent it from having access into your life. Or you prevent its continued activity. Submit to God and resist the devil. You can with the authority of God’s Word, by the key that locks up the devil’s activity. You cast out the devil and then lock his access of return in that specific area. You are limited in some areas. The devil has a legal right to be on this earth, but he has no right to dominate you. He will attack you, but you are equipped to hold up the shield of faith and quench every fiery dart. The Word of God is your defensive weapon. You can also resist him and cast him out. You can do this with the Word of God …, which as another metaphor, is called the sword of the spirit. The Word of God is your offensive weapon. It is your key … and there are many keys of the kingdom. They’re not to the kingdom. They’re the keys granted to you because you’re of the kingdom. As a Christian, you’re an ambassador of Christ, meaning you’re in this world, but you’re not of this world. You’re of the kingdom of God, and there are keys of the kingdom. As an ambassador in this world, you have the authority of the home country. You have the keys of the kingdom, the authority of the Word of God, His promises to you. These keys from God allow you to lock things and unlock things on the earth. You allow things or prevent things. You receive things or reject things. You put up with things or you decide you’re not going to put up with things. This is binding and loosing. This is locking and unlocking … which is what you specifically do with keys. You have this authority given to you by God, through His Word, by His Spirit, in the Name of Jesus, because you’re of His kingdom. As a Blood-washed child of God, born again and in His family, walking in His fellowship and in obedience, you have these keys.

But you have to use the keys. It is your responsibility. You have to be the one to do that. According to Scripture, you are blessed in what you set your hand unto. According to Scripture, you will prosper in what you do. According to Scripture, if you abide in Him and His words abide in you, you can ask what you will, and it will be done. According to Scripture, you are to bind things; you are to loose things. So many people just take what happens to them, say it must be from God, and they accept it. They say that since it happened, it must have been God’s will. The devil would promote that kind of thinking. That way the devil can do things without resistance. But Scripture tells us that God’s people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge. God’s people, the children of light, need to be wiser than the children of the world. We should get the knowledge of God, but also have some common sense. We have an advantage! We can use the knowledge of God and the knowledge of the world system. If I’m in an airplane, I don’t want the pilot to just be a Christian, full of faith and the knowledge of God. I want him to also know how to fly an airplane. The advantage would be to have both. We have an advantage over the world if we would use it! We have access to both realms. The problem is, the world is often using their knowledge in the one realm better than we are in both realms. God will bless what we do when it’s in line with Him and His Word, but we are to do something that He can bless.

Order the Do Something! CD this month and receive the free Easter Service Music CD.


Thank you! … and … God Bless You!

Tony

01. April 2012 · Comments Off on Inspired Utterance – “Timing With God” (A Prophecy) · Categories: Bible Teaching

Click and Listen to the Prophecy: Timing With God

Prophecy could be defined as inspired utterance. It can contain the revelation gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12, the word of wisdom and/or the word of knowledge. That is, it might contain supernatural revelation of something in the past or present, which would be a word of knowledge. And/or it can contain supernatural revelation of the future, which is a word of wisdom. But prophecy in a simple form, as explained by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 14:3, can simply be for edification, exhortation, and comfort. Later in 1 Corinthians 14, it is given that all believers can prophesy. This is more clearly understood in connection with Revelation 19:10 which says that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. When given from the heart, by the unction of the Spirit, even in the simplest form, the testimony of Jesus comes from the same unction of divinely inspired utterance, the spirit of prophecy. On the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:17, the Apostle Peter quoted from the book of Joel when he explained that by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, sons and daughters would prophesy. Whosoever will receive Jesus is included.

Spirit-filled believers may know something about speaking in tongues, which should be divinely inspired utterance. But fewer, it seems, understand much about the interpretation of tongues. Indeed, as a prayer language to God, when not a message to the church or in ministry to a person, it’s likely that the speaking in tongues would not require interpretation. It’s a powerful form of prayer and praise and worship, but unless it’s a message from God, the interpretation might not be necessary. But even so, many Spirit-filled believers know something about tongues and interpretation. However, there’s more to the Spirit-filled life. The Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 5:18-19 to be filled with the Spirit, speaking in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. This is not just for those in the ministry, that is, what we might call the five-fold ministry. Rather, every believer can be filled with the Spirit and have divine utterance, including psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. This doesn’t mean you quote one of the 150 psalms in the Bible, from the Book of Psalms. But a new psalm would come forth by inspiration. In services, while under the anointing, I sometimes am inspired to speak or sing in psalms and spiritual songs. Sometimes when simply by myself and all alone, I encourage myself by speaking in psalms. I find that often, mine rhyme or sound poetic. Psalms, hymns, spiritual songs, prophecy, tongues, and interpretation are all inspired utterance. As a message and ministry to the church, not all would have the gifts of tongues and interpretation. This is explained in 1 Corinthians 12:29-30. Every believer can receive the gift of the fullness of the Spirit and speak in tongues as another means to pray, praise God, and edify himself. However, this isn’t a ministry gift as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:30 that is only given to some. All Spirit-filled believers can speak with tongues in their personal spiritual lives. This edifies them individually. And all believers can prophesy. This edifies the church, which is of greater importance. When prophecy comes forth, it might not rhyme, though it could. It might not have an obvious poetic style to it, or it could. But it will do one or more of three things. It will edify, exhort, and/or comfort. Another important facet of prophecy is given in 1 Timothy1:18. Though it should never take a place higher than the written Word of God, as inspired utterance, it is also a weapon, with which we can war a good warfare.

Prophecies should be judged. Maybe a personal prophecy, that which is specific to you and your life, should more closely be examined. It should bear witness with what you already know in your spirit. It should confirm or be in line with what you already have in your heart, be in line with the Word of God and the will of God for you. If it’s new and something you’ve never heard before nor even considered, maybe you should be slow and cautious to act on that. But when it confirms what you were already hearing from God in your heart, then it’s a powerful weapon against discouragement and it gives you clearer direction in the way you were already prayerfully considering.

But all prophecy should be judged. It will never distract from Jesus. It may not always specifically contain the Name of Jesus, but it should always be consistent with the plan of God, be in line with His Word, and bring blessing to people. On occasion, there may be warnings and judgments given, but more often, prophecy is given to encourage and uplift the hearer. It can be misused and it should be judged. We’re taught in the Bible to try the spirits and to prove all things. Let the prophets speak and let the others judge. Is it in line with the Word? Does it glorify God and exalt Jesus? Does it bring blessing to people? Does it edify, exhort, or comfort?

The following is a prophecy that came forth during praise and worship, April 1, 2012. At the end, my wife, Susan walked past me while leaving the platform and she said, “That was for you.” I didn’t know all that I had said until I listened to the recording. At the time, I didn’t know what I was going to say next, but afterwards I did remember some of it. But it wasn’t until I listened to the recording that I realized, yes, God was encouraging me. But I believe this same truth can also encourage you. You might want to listen to it while you read it:
http://mccanlessministries.com/MP3/TimingWithGod.mp3

Tony McCanless

Timing With God

There is a timing with God, there is a timing; yes, it’s so.

Some things are hidden. They’re not yet for you to know.

But the timing of God will come into full fruition and then it will show.

And then … then that essence, that presence;

That unction … that motivation in your heart says it’s now time to go.

So, move. On occasion, be slow.

Wait upon the Lord and know;

It is His timing and it’s when He says to go.

This way, that way, but yet your eyes look right on;

Following God; walking in the Light of the Son.

Performing His Word and His will on this earth;

Letting others realize His value and His worth.

It is the testimony of Jesus in your heart mixed with praise;

And you’ll see hearts and lives changed; from spiritual death, they are raised.

So, be faithful to listen, to hear, and to do;

What the Lord God, your Father, by His Spirit and Word has for you.

Prophecy given by Tony McCanless
04/01/12