TOAM – Session 4 – 2 Corinthians 3 by Rob Rufus

TOAM – Session 4 – 2 Corinthians 3 by Rob Rufus July 5, 2006
Once again a fabulous time of worship. I was powerfully touched as we sang the song, “The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon you . . .”

Rob began his messge by explaining that he had been told by God that he was to come to this conference three days BEFORE Terry called him. This came to him as confirmation that an outpouring of the miraculous is coming to the UK. He felt that the weight of God’s glory is coming.

Rob based his talk on 2 Corinthians 3, where God tells us of a new covenant that is not of works, but of God’s work. The glory of this new covenant is from one step of glory to another.

We do have tough times, and we must not forget that, but by the work of the cross, God intends to give us greater and greater blessings in the miraculous power of God. Do we hunger? Do we want far more of the presence and power of God? Do we want the experience of Acts where “all” were healed at times of God’s special blessing? Do we crave it? If so, then this presupposes the existence of the thing for which we are craving! God is willing!

We should expect that there is coming a great outpouring of the supernatural Holy Spirit that will exceed anything any generation has seen before. Many will pull back from expecting the supernatural because of our disappointments. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick,” but it is through faith and patience that we inherit the promises.

We should not let our disappointment be the father of our theology. We ahould ask God to lift our lack of experience to the level of the Bible rather than bend the Bible to our experience. God has an elevator to bring us into ever increasing glory.

STEP 1

We need an encounter with God which will undo passivity and a surrender to fatalism. Rob said that as a young charismatic Calvinist he drifted into hypercalvinism, which to quote Spurgeon, had become a bed for his passivity rather than a couch for his refreshing! As I was reflecting on this, I realised some will say, rightly, that experience shouldn’t shape our theology, but neither should our lack of experience shape our theology either!

This weight of miracles lifted and he felt God say, “I am taking it away for now so you can focus on Me, not miracles.” For decades he had asked God, “Is this the year that anointing will return?” God said “no” every year, except this one, when He said “yes“.

STEP 2

We need a genuine personal relationship with the Spirit. If we don’t fall in love with God, we cannot sustain a season of many miracles.

STEP 3

We must not empty the cross of its power. Apologetics and theatre are good, but don’t put faith in them. Don’t argue – proclaim the Gospel! We will see power released when we preach the Gospel of the cross. Paul graphically and vividly declared what happened at the cross. If they can see it, whoever looks at it will be healed.

STEP 4

We must have a heart for the lost. God loves the lost. We have to ask ourselves as Rob said God asked him – “Why do you want My power to be manifested?” Bring the hopeless cases to church and expect God to act!

I loved the fact that Rob told us clearly that no one can heal anyone, except God. He said that he had not even been able to heal himself of a fever which had been troubling him the last few days. In fact, he was preaching having only slept for an hour the night before because of that fever.

If you are reading this blog and are cynical about the teaching, you simply HAVE to listen to this talk. Right now I am crying like a baby and simply cannot write notes anymore. We need God to move in the supernatural. Let’s cry out to God to do what only He can do!


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