The Ramblings of a hungry Apostolic

Well, in January I wrote about having more of Heaven in 2011, and while I must say that there's been plenty of the contrary I've also experienced some things that I have never experienced before in my 8 years of living for the Lord.

In February it began, a dear brother in the Lord came to me while at the Kentucky District Youth Retreat in Louisville and prophesied to me. Now, I'll be the first to point out that prophecy is abused in the world today so I'm extremely careful in what I receive through what the Church world calls prophecy, but this my friend was delivered fresh. From the very portals of a place none of us have been but we've all heard of. Heaven.

He wasn't screaming, spitting, running, hollering...just a simple soft spoken heart rendering prophecy from God. "God has something greater, don't settle for anything less than what He has for you". As he uttered the last word of the prophesy there was a wave of the awesome Spirit of God that swept over me and I wept, profusely. Never before had a prophecy done to me what this had done for me. It was God talking through man to me, I didn't deserve it, I don't deserve it even now. I'm so thankful that God doesn't call the qualified but he qualifies the called.

Some 2 months later (maybe less) another man from the other end of the state that wasn't even in attendence at the event in February came to me and conveyed the very same message. This brought new meaning, a fresh anointed meaning to Brian Young to the scripture 2 Corinthians 13:1 This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.

It was established. Will God's established Word falter? I know not of any instances.

But what is it? When will it happen? I wish I had the answer to these questions. The last 3 months of my wife's life and my own have been handed a lot of highs and lows. Every time we go up, we're knocked back down. Every time we get knocked down, we're lifted back up by the mighty Hand of the Lord Jesus.

I wasn't raised Apostolic. I was raised under the influence of an alcoholic dad and a trinity, non-church goer, mother which she was the absolute only thing that held our fragile, often times wrecked family, together. I went to the local Baptist Churches in our community from which I have developed life long friendships with those fine people. I was baptized in the Hunter Memorial Baptist Church according to Matthew 28:19, Billy Joe Williams, one of the best friends anyone could ask for while growing up, was also baptized that day. So not being raised Apostolic brings me into this movement as sort of an outsider with an inside peek into Pentecost, and I have Godly pride to be Apostolic Pentecostal. I'm glad we stand for what we stand for.

It also brings me to a place of Spiritual disturbance. Where are we in our movement? Where are we in revival? Yes, I realize we still have our foundation of Acts 2:38 as the only salvation that the Bible teaches. We all shout about that. But why are we here? Why did God bring us into the truth? I have an astounding answer that may have varying opinions among the readers of this blog. God didn't bring us into the truth of His Word to do what we're doing. I would really hate to see my report card and for that matter our movement's report card of how we're doing in bringing lost souls to God. Which, by the way is the only reason God saved us. Sheep begat sheep.

God never saved us to come and get a feel good message on Sunday, go home, come back to Church on Wednesday just to get another feel good message. I'm so disturbed by the lack of, true Apostolic moves of God in our Churches. Who's seeking God? Who's praying? Who's fasting? We're dying a Spiritual death due to the lack of seeking God. Yeah, we can still have "good" Church. But when did we become satisfied with "good" Church? When did that replace genuine, heart felt Apostolic Church? Life changing, mind altering, heart transforming services where we are led only by the Spirit and not by man?

This, my friend, is what I'm longing for and in my prayers I pray that Jesus himself will continue to direct me in this direction. Yes, I know that people generally fizz out after a burning desire such as this, but I pray against that. If it be worldly influences that would dampen the fire that I'm feeling then move it Lord, in fact, do whatever, take me wherever by whatever means, to allow me to lead people that so share this desire for Apostolic Restoration. I'm throwing out my Pentecostal rhetoric and walking where I've never walked in order to do this. Every time we preach Apostolic messages and we don't see Apostolic results we're losing our credibility...God help me to establish this in my life and wherever you take me in the future.

I praise the only saving Name of Jesus and close in the same.....

Brian

Trinity vs Jesus - Brother Lee Stoneking

What? Huh?

I'm sure if I was to ask if you ever had one of these What? or Huh? moments you would no doubt say yes and you would say it with reservation or hesitation. In my last blog post I said that I would be going through a lot of meetings, planning sessions and such throughout the first part of the year. Well, there's not been a shortage of them by any stretch of the imagination. I guess that's an excuse for not blogging more, but then if we're looking for an excuse for anything we can find it....

I am honored to serve on the Ky District Youth Committee for another term, the men of Section N are some of the best I am honored to know and be acquainted with. They love Apostolic Doctrine, they love Holiness living and most of all they love Jesus!

Now to my questions, What? and Huh? I've been having too many of these moments here lately. I can't tell you the number of times I've experienced one of these very moments in the first 3 months of this year. Many times it's due to the neglect and omission of the Truth of God's Word. How can it be that good people can be so wrong when it comes to the answer to this question, What does it take to be "saved"? Let me answer this with a question, what does it take to be "saved"? What does being "saved" mean? What are we "saved" from? How can the vast majority of people that die, or so uttered by the clergyman, as the shell of the person that once was is lying there, be saved? Isaiah 5:14 says that hell hath enlarged herself to hold those that will be coming there. Huh? Yeah, that's what it says...the place of eternal torment and fire has enlarged itself. Why? Why has the mouth opened without measure? Why would you need to build on to your house? Why would you purchase a bigger car? Answer: the existing facilities aren't adequate to hold the contents.

So, what are you trying to say, Brian? I'm simply wanting you to think about the time you were "saved". (a term that's so loosely used in religiosity that it's lost it's effectiveness) I'm being sincere with this, think about it. What happened? What was said? Some of my Huh? moments have came of late from speaking with people who got "saved". Some have placed their hand in the hand of a preacher and accepted membership. Others have quoted prayers under the instruction of someone else to become "saved". Others have accepted the Lord Jesus into their heart to be "saved". This leads me to a huge Huh? moment.

Why does all of this lead you to a Huh? moment, Brian? Well, none of these are recorded in the Bible as ways to becoming born again or for the lack of a better term and in the words of religion, to be "saved". In Nicodemus's encounter with Jesus in John 3 Jesus never once told Nicodemus to shake His hand, quote a prayer or accept Him as his personal savior. Note the conversation...

John 3 (KJV)

 ¹There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: ²The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. ³Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.⁴Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?⁵Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

I challenge you to challenge your eternal condition. Yes, search yourself, recall that night that you were "saved". But Brian, it doesn't really matter, I live a good life, I felt great after I got "saved". Oh my friend, it does matter. Mark 10 says that there's none good but One. Please be assured that you know that you are truly born again like Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3. Jesus told Nicodemus that he had to be born again of the water AND of the Spirit. Shaking a hand, accepting the Lord or repeating a prayer from someone does NOT make any of us born again. It's simply erroneous to believe that there's another way outside of what Jesus told Nicodemus. If I say it, the pope says it or the newspaper reports it; we can't stand on things that aren't Bible based, it's that simple. 

But what does "born again" mean? Jesus in v. 7 says this...⁷Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. In other words, he was telling Nicodemus to not stand in wonder with what I just told you. You had a natural birth, right? Yep, or you wouldn't be reading this. How can you be born again when you're already alive? That's the thing...there must first be a death (spiritually) before a birth can take place. When Jesus perished on the cross He died. He came to show us the way. Jesus had a death, we have to have a death, Spiritually, this is our time of repentance. We have to die out to the old man, our old self. I've seen countless folks that said they got "saved" but never observed one ounce of change in their lives. (no judgement, simply observation) Some still practice the same habits as they always did...Huh? God does it right when He does anything. We'll be completely transformed by His power or we won't be at all!

Jesus also had a burial, he died, then was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. We read that there were grave clothes put on him after they begged for His martyred body. We must also be buried just as He was. You can't bury something that's alive, there must first be a death! After our repentance you have prepared yourself for burial, or the Biblical baptism. (Mark 16:16, Matthew 28:19, Acts 2:38, I Peter 3:21)

Once Jesus spent 3 days in the tomb the most amazing and astonishing event to ever transpire took place. The foundation of every Christian today, Jesus resurrected. Once we have repented (died), baptized (burial) we are ready for a resurrection, the Spirit of God living inside of us. That's when the promise of the Father, the Comforter, the fire that John preached about can come into this old man and make it new. (Acts 2)

This is what Jesus told Nicodemus. You must be born again. I'm not saying that you're not "saved" but what I am saying is that you must be born again. You can sign Church books, shake every preacher's hand in the universe, repeat prayers, but if you aren't born again like Jesus told Nicodemus we are only living a void life. Time does not permit me to go into the detail that's worthy of this subject, but folks this right here is enough to get you on your way to being born again. Eternity is too long to be wrong. Get it right! You can have your saved, but as for me, I'll be born again.....

In Jesus Name, 

Brian D. Young

byoung28@gmail.com

859-334-0070

Well, here we go! More of Heaven in 2011!

Alright...yesterday I recollected all the way back to 5th grade, today I'm looking forward with anticipation of the year ahead. There's really no need to recollect other than to lavish in pleasant memories of past victories. Really, we don't need to stay there long because we take our eyes off of the current stage that God has placed us on.

Over the next couple months I'll have sales meeting, business meetings, planning sessions and elections to propel us forward for this year. I will have taken part in several of them by the close of February and I am ready to bring enthusiasm to each of them as long as it will usher more of Heaven in everything that I do in 2011.

Often times I'm convicted by my pessimism. Yes, I am guilty. With the help of God and a continual alignment of self, pessimism will be turned to optimism. Doubt to faith. Being lax will now be rigid. Why? Why do you think you need this, Brian? Because many of my past failures and defeats were caused by these...

...so, I'm planning on "More of Heaven in 2011!

Until next time,

Brian

Another decade, plus 1, is in the books, at least it is for here...

Do you remember sitting in your classroom at school with those utterances from your stomach saying "feed me", and it done so without shame, right when the class went into a state of utter silence, which was in and of itself a divine miracle sent to the teacher. This puts me back into the 5th grade classroom of Mr. Lonnie Cole at the old, now padlocked, Lost Creek Elementary on Sixteen Mile Creek in Dice, KY. That was in 1989, I was ten. Now, I'm sitting as a Retail Sales Manager with a phenomenal company, an Asst. Pastor in an amazing Church, a husband of 10 years, we're sitting on verge of another year being fulfilled, and I'm 31. I call this, surreal.


I sometimes look back and wonder what I could have done differently, just in the last decade. Should some friendships had been severed, should some been cultivated? What about all of those souls that I have become acquainted with that I failed to reach for Jesus? What about the opportunities that I failed to pursue and what about the ones I chose to pursue? I've said plenty of things and done plenty of things I wish I had a reverse button for in this thing called life. But the amazing thing about all of that is this... "...being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." Titus 3:7 (KJV) So regardless of lost opportunities, the souls that I failed to reach or were pushed away from reaching, friendships that were never cultivated and the inability to have a reverse button on our lives; I can still somehow scratch my needful, imperfect self back to the throne of grace. What an amazing Savior!

But what is a decade? What's a year? It's 10 years, 1 year respectively, but it's a lifetime to others. But what is a decade to God? We would be in error if we connected God to time in His infinite state, He is the ultimate Authority of time, but He's never regulated or subject to time. Time meaning minutes, days, years etc. The Bible emphatically states that God, again being the creator of all things, transcends time. (Genesis 1) So for us, a decade, plus 1, is coming to a close. But to God, well, He's still God and He's not a God of 11 years, 100 years or even 1 million, He's infinte! Another 10 years of life on earth that may have been seasoned with many hard times and many good times. From my marriage to my best and closest earthly friend at the beginning of this block of time, to this final, last day of 2010, we can say that another decade, plus 1, is certainly in the books, at least it is for here..."Even so, come, Lord Jesus." Rev. 22:20 (KJV)