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| Agapetos Registered user Username: Agapetos Post Number: 2010 Registered: 10-2002  |
Recently my friend Hazel Holland published her book "The Naked Truth" which contains a prophetic dream God gave her about His breaking heart for His beloved children in Adventism. I was honored to be able to write the foreword to her book, which she has given me permission to share below. More information about her book and how to get ahold of a copy can be found on the link at the end of this post. Bless you in Jesus' love! Ramone Romero _______________________ Foreword to The Naked Truth: "SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT" Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'" And he added, "These are the true words of God." At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." (Revelation 19:9-10) God is setting the record straight about the "spirit of prophecy"--prophecy comes to testify about Jesus! Prophecy is given as a witness that Jesus Christ is everything God has said He is--our salvation, our righteousness, our wisdom, our holiness, our redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30). Christ is the testimony of God, and this is God's testimony: "God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life." (1 John 5:11-12) "The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." How is it that these simple words have caused so much confusion in various corners of the Body of Christ? This verse has been cited more than any other to support the claims of prophets, to give credibility and authority to a prophet's words: "You had better listen to what our prophet says because it's the 'spirit of prophecy' and that is the 'testimony of Jesus'... so these are the very words of Jesus on this subject." This complete mis-reading of Scripture makes the prophet the center and Jesus the supporter, and is often used to justify any less-than-Scriptural teaching. When we remove the words "spirit of prophecy" from their context and put them at odds with the rest of the New Testament witness, it displaces Jesus from His rightful place as the center of all things and redirects the spotlight onto the prophet. Prophecy is supposed to tell people about Christ. The good news is about Him--prophets must gladly fade into the background as they point people to the Savior (See Acts 10:25-26, 36, 43). The "spirit of prophecy" is not some special elite spirit--there is one Holy Spirit, and prophecy is merely one of His gifts (1 Corinthians 12:4-11). We set ourselves up for idolatry and spiritual deafness when we divide the Holy Spirit by isolating any one of His gifts above the others or revere someone for having the special "spirit of prophecy". The word "spirit" in Greek can also mean "essence, inner life, disposition, state of mind, power, or wind." Revelation can thus read, "The testimony of Jesus is the essence of prophecy." This usage of "spirit" is not new to us: we say charitable acts in December show the "spirit" of Christmas. In the same way, the "spirit" of prophecy is to testify about Christ, and this has always been the refreshing passion of the one Holy Spirit (John 14:26, 16:14). This Spirit lived in the prophets of old, in Christ and in the apostles--and now this same Spirit lives in you and me. The promise of the New Covenant is "they will all know Me" (Hebrews 8:11). Jesus said, "The Spirit of truth... lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see Me anymore, but you will see Me... on that day you will realize that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you." Jesus boldly promised to show Himself to each of us and make His home inside of each of us (John 14:17-23). He said He would continue to reveal His Father to us (John 17:26) and sing praises to His Father in the midst of our meetings (Hebrews 2:12). So why do we seek after prophets to explain the Bible to us or to give us a word from the Lord? Have we forgotten that the Lord is longing to speak to us Himself and that hearing from Him for ourselves is our Covenant inheritance? Could it be that we have not been taught how to hear the Spirit? Are we still waiting for the "latter rain" outpouring of the Spirit even though Peter said the "last days" began at Pentecost (Acts 2:16-18)? Do our images of prophets and the prophetic still operate under the model of the Old Covenant? If we have not understood the title deed of our inheritance--the New Covenant--we will find ourselves taking our cues from the Old Covenant template of the prophetic. We'll expect a prophet to be like Moses who acted as an intermediary between the people and God, and thereby miss the awesome privilege of having God speak directly to us. The angel's words of Revelation are spoken to stop us from bowing down to prophets and to keep us focused on Jesus: "You must worship God! The spirit and essence of all prophecy is to testify about Jesus," to reveal the truth about Christ, what He has done, and all that is freely given in Him! (1 Corinthians 2:12) As many have noted, the best cure for the abuse of the gifts of the Spirit is not to suppress their use, but rather to let God use them properly. Over-emphasizing prophecy and prohibiting prophecy both bring damage to the Body of Christ. Paul wrote, "When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church" (1 Corinthians 14:26). When God's Spirit is allowed to express Himself in a group and it is understood that all gifts are given to testify about Jesus, the results are healing and freedom. I began to learn this in practical, personal experience in a small group, in the school of the Spirit... My first contact with Hazel Holland came in the fall of 2000 when I read a prophecy she had posted on the Internet. At 21 years of age, I had grown up Adventist and had already been a missionary to Japan, yet I had felt many troubling things in the church but was unable to fully recognize them without feeling guilty. From a young age I had been told, "No church is perfect," and "You shouldn't criticize God's church." But when I read what God had shown to Hazel, I finally understood that He had seen all His children's pains (including mine!) and was very concerned about what was happening to all of us. A few days later, I cautiously went to meet Hazel and test her beliefs. She spoke the Gospel I knew from the book of Romans--that we are saved by faith in Christ. But when I tested her on the Sabbath question, she said something shocking to me: If we are to be saved by keeping Sabbath in the end-times, then we are saved by our good works instead of by faith in Christ! For the first time in my life, the Gospel was allowed to interpret the Adventist end-time beliefs. I knew I had truly heard the Gospel, but I was frightened of going through this turning point because the Sabbath was my insurance in the "last days." Was God now calling me to walk where there seemed to be no ground beneath my feet, to step out over the chasm trusting that He would catch me? I went to visit Hazel again, and this time I brought all my friends. A Thursday night prayer meeting was born. As the meetings continued, several of us began to move in gifts of the Holy Spirit that we had never recognized before. Yet the most wonderful thing about the meetings was not the gifts--granted, they were exciting, but they were never the point. I eagerly desired the gifts when I first arrived, but the Lord wanted me to first be reconciled with my natural father and have peace with him. God used Hazel and others to help me "un-freeze" my emotions and release my bitterness. He taught me how to choose to forgive those who had hurt me and find healing at the foot of the Cross. At the meetings, I learned firsthand that when we allow the Spirit of God to move through us freely, He will use His gifts as aides to help uncover root problems in our hearts. I sometimes would arrive at the meetings with an emotional, physical or spiritual pain, but unable to identify the reason behind it. As the group began to pray for me and wait on the Lord together, God would give a picture, vision, impression or word to someone, which in turn would shed light on what was troubling me. I always knew when something was from God because I felt the inner witness of the Spirit--His true words always "resonated" in my own spirit. The gift of prophecy functioned in the same way, usually through Hazel and occasionally through others. As a result of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in and among us, countless wounds were healed. Likewise, when any of us received dreams or visions, we brought them to God and He answered in the same manner. Before taking a dream to the group, I would first pray and wait on God personally for understanding (if I forgot to do this and took the dream straight to the group, God always reminded me to come to Him first next time). Without fail God brought discernment and understanding like an unveiling process as we waited on Him together--and His interpretations usually came through more than one individual. The Lord seems to prefer to disperse His revelations among each person in a group instead of giving the burden of full understanding to just one member. I believe this is part of "carrying each other's burdens" (Galatians 6:2)--He gives us brothers and sisters through whom He will speak to us and bless us. As we freely allow Him to do that, we better understand Him and what His heart is for us. The Naked Truth is based on a dream and subsequent vision the Lord gave Hazel Holland in 1996. While most of the interpretation was given to Hazel, some insights and understanding were received by those of us with whom she shared the book for prayer, similar to how He brought understanding through many people in the prayer meetings at her home. This book has been "given birth" as the result of the prayers of many. He seems to take delight in giving interpretations one piece at a time until a whole picture emerges, so that in the whole process we are dependant on Him for understanding, and when the picture is finished our eyes are fixed on Him alone, the Revelator of all things, and Himself the great Revelation, Himself our salvation. We will be happy in the end if the focus is on the burden on the Lord's heart instead of on the vessels through whom He conveyed it. Why did the Lord give this dream and vision to Hazel Holland? What message does He want to convey to His children? In these last days, I believe God is raising up prophets in order to reset our faith and practice to the finished work of His Son--the spirit and heart of prophecy. "Prophecy" in Hebrew also means "burden," and I pray that you may hear the burden of God's heart as you read the pages of this book. Its contents may initially surprise and even disturb you, but He has promised that His burden is light, and above all that as we lay down our heavy burdens He will give us rest in Himself. Ramone R. Romero June 2006 Osaka, Japan ______________________ Link to Hazel's Book Site: http://thenakedtruth-hazel.blogspot.com/ ______________________ | ||
| Cloudwatcher Registered user Username: Cloudwatcher Post Number: 237 Registered: 5-2009 |
okay, fine... I'll say it. The book sounds fascinating and I'd love to read it, but I'm kind of leery of writings attributed to visions. I'm sure you can understand. | ||
| Gorancroatia Registered user Username: Gorancroatia Post Number: 153 Registered: 6-2010 |
Can you help me to read this book online for free? | ||
| Agapetos Registered user Username: Agapetos Post Number: 2011 Registered: 10-2002 |
Gorancroatia: I don't think she has it online at the moment. Don't know if she'll do that or not. Cloudwatcher: You made me realize that I should probably add a bit of explanation as to why I posted this here. So, here it goes... ***** Why I Posted the Foreword Here on FAF I posted this up here firstly because I felt God tell me to, secondly because I figure it's better if I be the first to introduce it rather than someone coming by it a little further from the original source. But I am not going to step into any kind of spokesperson role. =P In posting it up here, of course I realize this is difficult territory for Former Adventists. As well as for many kinds of Christians, particularly cessationists. I'm not posting it to persuade anyone or say "Hey you gotta read this!" or anything like that. I know some (or many) people would be uncomfortable with reading it. No one is going to push them to read it, and no one should. Shoot, the first thing any of us should do when someone says anything "prophetic" is run straight to God for confirmation & verification. If anyone has nervousness or weird feelings about this, shoot, go to God! It's all about Him. It's not critical for every person on earth or here at FAF to read the book. The book is written (and its dream, vision & interpretations were given) for people that God knows need to read it and whom will benefit from it (or become more hardened by reading it). The Sun that melts wax also hardens clay; if God is speaking through it in any measure, then both effects will happen. But it's not my job to sort it out or worry hard about it. I know exactly what kinds of conversations, arguments, accusations, nervousness, or labeling (etc.) could arise from this. Generally, I don't think I'm going to be sticking around to fend off or defend or offer apologetics for the book or Hazel, either. I think I might drop in for the occasional comment as I feel led, but again I'll wait and see. I think the content of the book speaks for itself (that God speaks through it), however as I hinted at in the Foreword above, New Covenant prophecy is not an "intermediary" thing. In other words it's not universal-for-all-people-otherwise-you're-doomed. It's given to nudge you to seek God for yourself, not to substitute for that. Finally, I know that posting this kind of thing here naturally triggers a bit of horror for many former Adventists because "the prophetic" is the area that so many of us were wounded in. It is where the trauma happened. So naturally it is going to be uncomfortable for many, and I won't be surprised if it gets some sharp reactions or at least a general, muted and written-off treatment. That's ok. But briefly what I do want to address is the "trauma". Namely, that if God is indeed speaking prophetically here (and if He still does that kind of thing at all anywhere else), then isn't it callous of Him to do so here among Former Adventists of all places--considering how badly we were wounded by EGW/SDA? The answer to that is simply that God has torn the scab off of the wound because it is still infected underneath. Hurt by the supposed manifestation of the Holy Spirit in "prophecy", we naturally want to forget or theologically write-off (or de-necessitate as much as possible) anything remotely "prophetic". In other words, we want the wound to cover over and heal as much as possible with as little pain & attention from us as possible. We want to forget it as quickly as possible. We would intensely prefer that God not speak through anyone prophetically. We wouldn't know how to handle that. Because we are not healed. We tried to feel healed and rested by delving deep into theology and surrounding ourselves with "the systematic", but it hasn't brought as deep as peace as we would like it to have. If God does some overt spiritual-gift-manifesting like "prophecy", the fear lodged deep in our unhealed wound rises to the surface and we rush to quench it and look away from it as fast as possible. I suggest (no, I know and believe) that in His timing, God often touches us precisely in our most wounded places because He wants to bring true, deep healing in those places in our hearts. I believe that for some people, that is one of the reasons God told me (yes, I said "God told me"!) to share the Foreword I wrote to Hazel's book above. Not for everyone, but for some people this will be the beginning of God reaching into an unhealed wound to bring healing. Sometimes He takes us by the hand and returns with us to the very place we were wounded for us to be healed there. I don't believe God wants us to live in fear of "the prophetic" or constantly on guarded edge about allowing His Spirit to do the stuff to/through us that He did to/through people in the Bible. We have all been wounded by EGW/SDA and in one degree or another, and we all need healing. We all need to be able to rest in the Holy Spirit and trust that yes, He is "God" too and He can be trusted; God the Holy Spirit will not lead us astray or hurt us the way that EGW/SDA did. However, we can't demand that the Holy Spirit stop being Himself or stop giving gifts or doing the things He did in Bible days. If we make that demand of Him, then we only want "Him" inasmuch as we're comfortable with Him fitting in our boxes. And by saying "boxing Him in" I am not meaning to condemn anyone. We all do that to Him at one time or another. The reason that most of us do it is because we are simply afraid of being hurt. At some deep place in our hearts we are afraid that His Spirit can't be trusted to keep us from being hurt, so we try to protect ourselves. I believe God wants all of us to know that He--the Holy Spirit--can be trusted. I believe that this book is one way that He will help some people realize that wound and find healing & rest in Him for that wounded & terrified part in our heart. Not everyone must absolutely positively read this and agree with it. Heck no. Just go to God. Talk to Him about it, and follow Him. He is trustworthy. And, for whomever these words are intended and for whomever the book is intended, I pray that God gives you wonderful peace and rest in the very place where you were wounded. Bless you in Jesus! Ramone (Message edited by agapetos on October 29, 2010) | ||
| Pnoga Registered user Username: Pnoga Post Number: 420 Registered: 1-2007  |
Ramone, you said "I posted this up here firstly because I felt God tell me to" I am not trying to cause an argument or cast any doubt, I am just curious what does this feeling of God telling you feel like? I struggle in this area, and have never had the pleasure of having God tell me something. I know when I am acting a certain way or showing anger, my conscience convicts me and points out my behaviour and this I feel is the Holy Spirit working in me. But I have never had the privilage of having God speak to me, or the feeling of Him doing so. To me at least I feel God speaks to me through continual reading of His Word and His Spirit revealing to me my sin and convicting me and showing me God's Love. I am given freedom, in that I can make free choices to do as I please as long as it is in accordance with Love. I don't feel God needs to direct me to do certain things that He gives me the Knowledge which is found in Christ to live my life and do what is good and honorable and done with Love. I am just curious, don't mean to offend in any way. I guess I tend to be sceptical or a little stand offish when it comes to visions and people saying that God told them.... Paul | ||
| Agapetos Registered user Username: Agapetos Post Number: 2012 Registered: 10-2002 |
Hi Paul, Good question. A lot of it is that I have learned to recognize His timing and His fruit in my life. Like for example, I don't enjoy the possibilities of arguments, confrontation, disagreement, being accused or judged or labeled, etc. I would rather not have posted the Foreword here or entered into the discussion. So I recognized my instant "No!" right off the bat. I prayed about it, and surrendered my feeling about what I would rather or rather not do. And in the stillness I "knew" or "felt" Him say to do it. This was soon accompanied by a strong sense of His love, His heart... like when your heart is breaking for someone or caring for someone. I knew it was not me because like I said, *I* didn't have that desire in me. As to how I ended up at this point where I check timing and feelings and thoughts, etc.... well, that would take a lot of time to describe and explain. Not sure I really could, either. It's very personal and deep. Not very theoretical stuff at all. Much more relational instead. I've learned from the fruits of checking things (both in Scripture, in my heart and in my life) long enough that I can recognize His voice most of the time and distinguish it from the voice of another. The biggest challenge in "distinguishing" ("discernment" is the more common word, I guess) is learning to identify one's own "voice". The process of learning to hear His voice is sooooo not an "academic" thing. It is intensely personal. You've got to open up your heart and let God come into your doubts, your fears, your feelings & emotions, as well as your thoughts & beliefs (of course). You've got to let Him get personal with you. If we want to hear His voice but hold Him at arm's length from touching the sore spots in our hearts, well, it's gonna take awhile to say the least! And actually, it is precisely His very goal to heal those sore & wounded spots in our hearts. Call me crazy, but He is more worried about those things than us getting all the points of "theology" correct. (Don't get me wrong, correct theology is an absolutely cool and good thing, but the state of our hearts is what God is most concerned about. Proper theology serves His heart's goal of softening and healing our hearts.) I was blessed to have friends next to me who could pray with me and help me learn to distinguish His voice from others. He took me right into the biggest wound in my life and began to heal me by continually applying His truth at the roots of the wound. In time I began to learn His heart for me, and before I knew it I could hear His voice, too. "Hear" is the only word I can use to describe it. Sometimes "feel" is a bit closer. Other times, "know". It's annoying not to have an exact word. It's similar to the first time I ever knew He was real: I know He is in me, but I also know how other He is, that He is not me but is Him Himself. But maybe the best way to describe it is the way one person once related it to a teacher: "I am not absolutely sure that I 'heard God', but I dare not say that I did not hear God either." The only thing I add to that is that after time spent following Him and letting Him do open-heart surgery on me (so to speak), I got used to His voice gradually. I can still make mistakes. But as someone said, His grace covers my mistakes. I know that no mistake I make in hearing Him is beyond His redemption. =) Bless you in Jesus, Paul! Ramone | ||
| Pnoga Registered user Username: Pnoga Post Number: 421 Registered: 1-2007 |
Ramone, Thanks, what you said makes so much sense. I believe I can relate to that and realize that perhaps at times I am way too stubborn to know that He is indeed speaking to me. I am yearning for a real relationship with the Father, not just a theological one. I know the letter written well enough, I want the substance. Thanks Ramone, beautifully put Paul | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 11902 Registered: 12-2003  |
Paul, Ramone is right about the different manifestations not all being normative for every person. Romans 12:6 says, in fact, "Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly." This fact, however, doesn't negate one thing we do all have in common, and I believe I read this same "thing" in Ramone's posts above: that one thing in common is "surrender". I had always tried to manage my feelings with disciplined thinking and analytical "figuring out". But since I've met Jesus personally, He has insisted that I face my life, not just my beliefs. He asks me to know what is "real" about my past, my family, my situation, and my identity which is now in Him. Because He has brought me from the domain of darkness into life and light in the kingdom of the Beloved Son, I now have His strength and courage and discernment to begin to know and accept what is true about myself and my life and to submit my life to Him. For example, I have had to "see" some things about my family that were hard to accept, but as God has given me the ability to know and believe these things, a whole lot of things about myself have become more clear. In many ways, I have begun to feel much less "crazy". But it has not been easy actually admitting all these things. Here's where the part about "substance" over "theology" comes in. I have had to surrender my "rights" to expect "normal" care and acceptance from people who should give it. I have had to surrender my right to be understood, to be treated politely, etc etc. These things have been pretty shocking to me--the usual way of thinking how I "ought" to be treated is something I've had to give to God. This doesn't meant I'm being treated badly by those close to me. It just means that in the larger circle of my family of origin, I've had to give up certain "illusions" in some cases, and it's been quite painful to face the truth. So, I've been discovering that the "something more", the "substance" comes to me in the surrender. When I can surrender to the Lord Jesus my personal defenses against WHATEVER feels like a threat to me, I experience Him in an intimate way and in places I never experienced Him before. When I ask Him to show me what I need to know, to feel what I need to feel, to change what I need to change, He's faithful to reveal those things to me. The deep "knowing", the hearing and knowing His voice to me, comes from consistently meeting Him in the "mundane". It's in the consistent, routine times of deep Bible study/meditation or memorizing that I have my deepest and most profound encounters with the Lord Jesus. Sometimes He takes my breath away and reduces me to tears...but I know that I experience Him profoundly, and He has gradually and profoundly been healing the broken places in my memories and emotions, and He is more and more real. I know I can trust Him. I believe that many people intuitively know there must be "something more"--but that "something" is actually what comes as we give up our "right" to protect ourselves and open up carefully-walled-off places deep inside us to Him and to our own "knowing". The Lord Jesus and His word reveals the truth, and as we allow that truth to penetrate not only our minds but our feelings and memories, amazing things happen. Hebrews 4:12 says,
This always seemed "metaphorical" to me as an Adventist. Now, though, I see it is literal. When I submit myself to His word and ask Him to teach me what is true and real, He literally reveals my life and my experience and my feelings and my brokenness to me...and He also deeply brings His reality and discernment and perspective and healing to me in those same broken spots He revealed. It's all in the surrender and willingness to let Him "take you" where He knows you need to go. He is faithful. Colleen | ||
| Karethamiller Registered user Username: Karethamiller Post Number: 79 Registered: 8-2010  |
Colleen, thank you so much for posting this...the part below especially spoke to my current experience: "When I ask Him to show me what I need to know, to feel what I need to feel, to change what I need to change, He's faithful to reveal those things to me." God knew that I needed to hear this today...thank you (and I praise Him for giving you those words of advice)! Karetha | ||
| Pnoga Registered user Username: Pnoga Post Number: 422 Registered: 1-2007 |
Yes,Thank you both Colleen and Ramone, this was very helpful for me. Paul |
