How is Yom Kippur Observed? (quoted)

 September 25–26, 2012

How is Yom Kippur Observed?

An Overview of Yom Kippur's Traditions and Customs

Yom Kippur commemorates the day that G‑d forgave the Jewish people for the sin of the Golden Calf. Forty days after hearing G‑d say at Mount Sinai: "You shall not have the gods of others in My presence; you shall not make for yourself a graven image," the Jews committed the cardinal sin of idolatry. Moses spent nearly three months on top of the mountain pleading with G‑d for forgiveness, and on the tenth of Tishrei it was finally granted: "I have pardoned, as you have requested."
From that moment on, this date, henceforth known as the Day of Atonement, is annually observed as a commemoration of our special relationship with G‑d, a relationship that is strong enough to survive any rocky bumps it might encounter. This is a day when we connect with the very essence of our being, which remains faithful to G‑d regardless of our outward behavior.
And while it is the most solemn day of the year, we are also joyful, confident that G‑d will forgive our sins and seal our verdict for a year of life, health, and happiness.
For nearly twenty-six hours – from several minutes before sunset on Tishrei 9 until after nightfall on Tishrei 10 – we "afflict our souls": we abstain from food and drink, do not wash or anoint our bodies, do not wear leather footwear, and abstain from spousal intimacy. We are likened to the angels, who have no physical needs. Instead of focusing on the physical, we spend much of our day in the synagogue, engaged in repentance and prayer.

Preparations

On the day before Yom Kippur, the primary mitzvah is to eat and drink in abundance. Two festive meals are eaten, one earlier in the day, and one just prior to the onset of Yom Kippur. Some of the day's other observances include requesting and receiving honey cake, in acknowledgement that we are all recipients in G‑d's world and in prayerful hope for a sweet year; begging forgiveness from anyone whom we may have wronged during the past year; giving extra charity; and the ceremonial blessing of the children.
Before sunset, women and girls light holiday candles, and everyone makes their way to the synagogue for the Kol Nidrei services.

On Yom Kippur

In the course of Yom Kippur we will hold five prayer services: 1) Maariv, with its solemn Kol Nidrei service, on the eve of Yom Kippur; 2) Shacharit—the morning prayer; 3) Musaf, which includes a detailed account of the Yom Kippur Temple service; 4) Minchah, which includes the reading of the Book of Jonah.
Finally, in the waning hours of the day, we reach the climax of the day: the fifth prayer, the Neilah ("locking") prayer. The gates of Heaven, which were open all day, will now be closed—with us on the inside. During this prayer we have the ability to access the most essential level of our soul. The Holy Ark remains open throughout. The closing Neilah service climaxes in the resounding cries of "Hear O Israel... G‑d is one." Then joy erupts in song and dance (a Chabad custom is to sing the lively "Napoleon's March"), followed by a single blast of the shofar, and the proclamation, "Next year in Jerusalem."
After the fast we partake of a festive after-fast meal, making the evening after Yom Kippur a Yom Tov (festival) in its own right. We immediately begin to look forward to the next holiday and its special mitzvah: the construction of the sukkah.

(For more information, visit:  http://www.chabad.org/holidays/JewishNewYear/template_cdo/aid/995354/jewish/How-is-Yom-Kippur-Observed.htm)

A HEAD STONE FOR MY YOUNGER BROTHER

A HEADSTONE

_________________________________

ALWAYS IN OUR HEARTS

  常在我们心中

my younger brother

我的弟弟

The day he went to be with the Lord: 3rd March 2012

Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all my iniquities,
Who heals all my diseases,
Who redeems my life from destruction,
Who crowns me with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies my mouth with good things,
So that my youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

( Psalm 103:1-5 )

我 的 心 哪 ， 你 要 称 颂 耶 和 华 ！ 凡 在 我 里 面 的 ，

也 要 称 颂 祂 的 圣 名 ！

我 的 心 哪 ， 你 要 称 颂 耶 和 华 ！

不 可 忘 记 祂 的 一 切 恩 惠 ！

祂 赦 免 我 的 一 切 罪 孽 ，

医 治 我 的 一 切 疾 病 。

祂 救 赎 我 的 命 脱 离 死 亡 ，

以 仁 爱 和 慈 悲 为 我 的 冠 冕 。

祂 用 美 物 使 我 所 愿 的 得 以 知 足 ，

以 致 我 如 鹰 返 老 还 童 。

（ 大 卫 的 诗 - 诗篇103:1-5 )

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The watchman’s compilation of Bible verses on “tears”. May all who mourn be deeply comforted.

COMFORTING WORDS FOR THOSE WHO SOW IN TEARS FOR THE LORD JESUS

Psalm 126:5
Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.
Psalm 126:4-6 (in Context) Psalm 126 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
Isaiah 25:8
he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The LORD has spoken.
Isaiah 25:7-9 (in Context) Isaiah 25 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
Jeremiah 31:16
This is what the LORD says: “Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded,” declares the LORD. “They will return from the land of the enemy.
Jeremiah 31:15-17 (in Context) Jeremiah 31 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
Psalm 126:5
Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.
Psalm 126:4-6 (in Context) Psalm 126 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

HOW AN INTERCESSOR CRIES FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD

Job 16:20 My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God; Job 16:19-21 (in Context) Job 16 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
Psalm 119:136 Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for your law is not obeyed. Psalm 119:135-137 (in Context) Psalm 119 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
Jeremiah 9:1
Oh, that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night for the slain of my people.
Jeremiah 9:1-3 (in Context) Jeremiah 9 (Whole Chapter) Other TranslationsJeremiah 9:18
Let them come quickly and wail over us till our eyes overflow with tears and water streams from our eyelids.
Jeremiah 9:17-19 (in Context) Jeremiah 9 (Whole Chapter) Other TranslationsJeremiah 13:17
If you do not listen, I will weep in secret because of your pride; my eyes will weep bitterly, overflowing with tears, because the LORD’s flock will be taken captive.
Jeremiah 13:16-18 (in Context) Jeremiah 13 (Whole Chapter) Other TranslationsJeremiah 14:17
“Speak this word to them: “‘Let my eyes overflow with tears night and day without ceasing; for the Virgin Daughter, my people, has suffered a grievous wound, a crushing blow.
Jeremiah 14:16-18 (in Context) Jeremiah 14 (Whole Chapter) Other TranslationsJeremiah 31:16
This is what the LORD says: “Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded,” declares the LORD. “They will return from the land of the enemy.
Jeremiah 31:15-17 (in Context) Jeremiah 31 (Whole Chapter) Other TranslationsJeremiah 50:4
“In those days, at that time,” declares the LORD, “the people of Israel and the people of Judah together will go in tears to seek the LORD their God.
Jeremiah 50:3-5 (in Context) Jeremiah 50 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
Lamentations 2:18
The hearts of the people cry out to the Lord. You walls of Daughter Zion, let your tears flow like a river day and night; give yourself no relief, your eyes no rest.
Lamentations 2:17-19 (in Context) Lamentations 2 (Whole Chapter) Other TranslationsLamentations 3:48
Streams of tears flow from my eyes because my people are destroyed.
Lamentations 3:47-49 (in Context) Lamentations 3 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

THE LORD DETESTS THESE TEARS


Malachi 2:13-14 Another thing you do: You flood the Lord’s altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no longer looks with favor on your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands. You ask, “Why?” It is because the Lord is the witness between you and the wife of your youth. You have been unfaithful to her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant.
Malachi 2:12-14 (in Context) Malachi 2 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

THE LORD APPRECIATES AND GIVES AWARD TO THESE TEARS


Luke 7:38
As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
Luke 7:37-39 (in Context) Luke 7 (Whole Chapter) Other TranslationsLuke 7:44
Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
Luke 7:43-45 (in Context) Luke 7 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

THE LORD RECORDS TEARS THAT ARE SHED FOR HIM (TEARS SHED BY THOSE AFTER JESUS' HEART)


Psalm 56:8 Record my misery; list my tears on your scroll — are they not in your record? Psalm 56:7-9 (in Context) Psalm 56 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
Acts 20:19
I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents.
Acts 20:18-20 (in Context) Acts 20 (Whole Chapter) Other TranslationsActs 20:31
So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.
Acts 20:30-32 (in Context) Acts 20 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations2 Corinthians 2:4
For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you.
2 Corinthians 2:3-5 (in Context) 2 Corinthians 2 (Whole Chapter) Other TranslationsPhilippians 3:18
For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.
Philippians 3:17-19 (in Context) Philippians 3 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations2 Timothy 1:4
Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.
2 Timothy 1:3-5 (in Context) 2 Timothy 1 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

NO MORE TEAR AT LAST!

Revelation 7:17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’ ” Revelation 7:16-17 (in Context) Revelation 7 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

Revelation 21:4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:3-5 (in Context) Revelation 21 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

End Times watchman’s Bible Study: He kept right on going because

Today the message is “faith” that makes one see the invisible. Faith requires one to be led by the Holy Spirit and see what cannot be seen by flesh and blood. Jesus was very clear and definite on this point. He told a well established teacher of the law and a high official in the Jewish Council, “Unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God.” “No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.” (John 3:3,5) The watchman has discovered that all the following faith people in the hall of faith were Spirit-led people!
Bible verses with the watchman’s study notes in bracket. ————————-

Hebrews 11

New Living Translation (NLT)

Great Examples of Faith

11 Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. ² Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.
(Faith is all about things we cannot see in our physical realm or with our physical eyes and mental or emotional perception.)
³ By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.
(To claim that you have faith you must first believe that the world was created from the invisible!)
⁴ It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.
(Faith is the only testimony that will continue testifying even after physical death. It supersedes the power of death! Faith sets a man free from the inevitable prison of death.)
⁵ It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.”^[a] For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God. ⁶ And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
(Faith in action means you can even supersede the process of physical death! A man of faith like Enoch was not bound by the death process as other mortals do.)
⁷ It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.
(Faith means willingness to look like a fool in the eyes of other human beings. it means being a minority minority by choice in the world. It also means hundreds of years may have passed and you still need to carry on believing in what the Holy Spirit says to you through the word of God even though you have not yet seen anything as the word has promised!)
⁸ It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. ⁹ And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. ¹⁰ Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.
(Faith father Abraham did not know where he was going. But he followed and listened to the Holy Spirit. He could only see in the spirit as revealed to him, the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, the City of God. And he believed. How amazing it was considering him being a man who existed over four thousand years ago! The Holy Spirit was not restricted by time and space.)
¹¹ It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed^[b] that God would keep his promise. ¹² And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.
(Sarah too existed four thousands years ago. She believed just as her husband did. Faith broke the physical boundary set by nature over her beauty, her child bearing age etc. It was amazing how the foreign kings were awed by the great beauty of an elderly woman!)
¹³ All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. ¹⁴ Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. ¹⁵ If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. ¹⁶ But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
(Faith means we believe in God and the existence of the City of God, the New Jerusalem. Like Abraham, of whom we became descendants, we must see the City in our spirit. This is a common quality of faith people.)
¹⁷ It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, ¹⁸ even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.”^{[c] 19} Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.
(Faith requires readiness to give up/sacrifice your best love, whether it is another person or yourself. Everyone of us is both Abraham and Isaac. Only when I am ready to let go of ‘ME’, let ‘ME’ die, on the cross with Jesus, I may receive the resurrected new ‘me’ back from the dead, just as Abraham received Isaac.)
²⁰ It was by faith that Isaac promised blessings for the future to his sons, Jacob and Esau. ²¹ It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff. ²² It was by faith that Joseph, when he was about to die, said confidently that the people of Israel would leave Egypt. He even commanded them to take his bones with them when they left. ²³ It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months when he was born. They saw that God had given them an unusual child, and they were not afraid to disobey the king’s command.
(The above three examples showed what faith in action required of parents or patriarchs. They passed on godly spiritual blessings to their younger generations. They showed that they feared God more than they feared man and they valued the promises of God more than everything else in this world. Indeed nothing else about their achievements on earth was recorded by the Holy Spirit here illustrating their faith except this point.)
²⁴ It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. ²⁵ He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. ²⁶ He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward. ²⁷ It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible. ²⁸ It was by faith that Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and to sprinkle blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their firstborn sons.
(The watchman was led to read this paragraph first when he opened his Bible today. The key verse that showed Moses’ faith was “He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the One who is invisible. ” Who was he seeing? He was seeing Jesus as he followed the Holy Spirit and he dared not take his eyes off Him. Because Jesus is always ahead, showing the direction and crushing the enemies for him, Moses had to keep right on going. That was how he led over three million people out of Egypt.)
²⁹ It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. But when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were all drowned. ³⁰ It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down.
(Miracles always follow faith in action.)
³¹ It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.
((Faith requires action in submitting to and obeying God. even Rahab could hear and obey the Holy Spirit. Who was she? A mere prostitute who existed over 3500 years ago.)
³² How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. ³³ By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴ quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. ³⁵ Women received their loved ones back again from death.
But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. ³⁶ Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. ³⁷ Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half,^[d] and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. ³⁸ They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.
(Faith in action produced victors, Faith overcomers and supernatural exploits. Suffering in the eyes of the world too.)
³⁹ All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. ⁴⁰ For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.
(God sees and appreciates faith in action, regardless of the outcome in the eyes of the world. “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.” Heb11:6)

Footnotes:

1. Hebrews 11:5 Gen 5:24.
2. Hebrews 11:11 Or It was by faith that he [Abraham] was able to have a child, even though Sarah was barren and he was too old. He believed.
3. Hebrews 11:18 Gen 21:12.
4. Hebrews 11:37 Some manuscripts add some were tested.

Book gems: THREE CLASSES OF PROFESSING CHRISTIANS

TRUE SAINTS

by the Rev. CHARLES G. FINNEY

 TEXT.-- "Who is on the Lord's side?" -- Exodus xxxii. 26.
THIS question was addressed by Moses to the professed people of God, immediately after their great departure from God while Moses was in the Mount, when they went and worshiped a golden calf which had been cast for them by Aaron. After expostulating with the guilty nation, he called out, "Who is on the Lord's side?" It is not my intention to dwell on the history of this case particularly, but to come at once to the main design I have in view this evening, which is to show that there are

THREE CLASSES OF PROFESSING CHRISTIANS.

I. The true friends of God and man.
II. Those who are actuated by hope and fear, or in other words, by self-love or by selfishness.
III. Those who are actuated by public opinion.
These three classes may be known by attending to the characteristic developments which show what is the leading design in their religion. It needs not be proved, that persons may set out in religion from very different motives, some from real love to religion, and some from other motives. The differences may be arranged in these three classes, and by attending to the development of their real design in becoming religious, you learn their characters. They all profess to be servants of God, and yet by observing the lives of many, it becomes manifest that instead of their being God's servants they are only trying to make God their servant. Their leading aim and object is to secure their own salvation, or some other advantage for themselves, through the medium of the favor of God. They are seeking to make God their friend, that they may make use of him to serve their own turn.
I. There is a class of professed Christians who are the true friends of God and man.
If you attend to those things which develop the true design and aim, of their religion, you will see it to be such. They are truly and sincerely benevolent.
1. They will make it manifest that this is their character, by their carefulness in avoiding sin.
They will show that they hate it in themselves, and they hate it in others. They will not justify it in themselves, and they will not justify it in others. They will not seek to cover up or to excuse their own sins, neither will they try to cover up or to excuse the sins of others. In short, they aim at PERFECT HOLINESS. This course of conduct makes it evident that they are the true friends of God. I do not mean to say that every true friend of God is perfect, no more than I would say that every truly affectionate and obedient child is perfect, or never fails in duty to his parent. But if he is an affectionate and obedient child, his aim is to obey always, and if he fails in any respect, he by no means justifies it, or pleads for it, or aims to cover it up, but as soon as he comes to think of the matter, is dissatisfied with himself, and condemns his conduct.
So these persons who are the true friends of God and man, are ever ready to complain of themselves, and to blame and condemn themselves for what is wrong. But you never see them finding fault with God. You never hear them excusing themselves and throwing off the blame upon their Maker, by telling of their inability to obey God, or speaking as if God had required impossibilities of his creatures. They always speak as if they felt that what God has required is right and reasonable, and themselves only to blame for their disobedience.
2. They manifest a deep abhorrence of the sins of other people.
They do not cover up the sins of others, or plead for them and excuse them, or smooth them over by "perhaps" this, or "perhaps" that. You never hear them apologizing for sin. As they are indignant at sin in themselves, they are just as much so when they see it in others. They know its horrible nature, and abhor it always.
3. Another thing in which this spirit manifests itself, is zeal for the honor and glory of God.
They show the same ardor to promote God's honour and interest, that the true patriot does to promote the honor and interest of his country. If he greatly loves his country, its government and its interest, he sets his heart upon promoting its advancement and benefit. He is never so happy as when he is doing something for the honour and advancement of his country. So a child that truly loves his father, is never so happy as when he is advancing his father's honor and interest. And he never feels more indignant grief, than when he sees his father abused or injured. If he sees his father disobeyed or abused by those who ought to obey and love and honor him, his heart breaks forth with indignant grief.
There are multitudes of professing Christians, and even ministers, who are very zealous to defend their own character and their own honor. But this one class feel more engaged, and their hearts beat higher when defending or advancing God's honor. These are the true friends of God and man.
4. They show that they sympathize with God in His feelings towards man.
They have the same kind of friendship for souls that God feels. I do not mean that they feel in the same degree, but that they have the same kind of feelings. There is such a thing as loving the souls of men and hating their conduct too. There is such a thing as constitutional sympathy, which persons feel for those who are in distress. This is natural. You always feel this for a person in distress, unless you have some selfish reason for feeling malevolent. If you saw a murderer hung, you would feel compassion for him. The wicked have this natural sympathy for those that suffer.
There is another peculiar kind of sympathy which the real child of God feels and manifests towards sinners. It is a mingled feeling of abhorrence and compassion, of indignation against his sins, and pity for his person. It is possible to feel this deep abhorrence of sin mingled with deep compassion for souls capable of such endless happiness, and yet bound to eternal misery.
I will explain myself. There are two kinds of love.--One is the love of benevolence. This has no respect to the character of the person loved, but merely views the individual as exposed to suffering and misery. This God feels towards all men. The other kind includes esteem or approbation of character. God feels this only towards the righteous. He never feels this love towards sinners. He infinitely abhors them. He has an infinitely strong exercise of compassion and abhorrence at the same time. Christians have the same feelings, only not in the same degree, but they have them at the same time. Probably they never feel right unless they have both these feelings in exercise at the same time. The Christian does not feel as God feels towards individuals, nor feel according to the true character of the individuals, unless both these feelings exist in his mind at the same time. You see this by one striking characteristic. The Christian will rebuke most pointedly and frequently those for whom he feels the deepest compassion. Did you never see this? Did you never see a parent yearning with compassion over a child, and reprove him with tears, and yet with a pungency that would make the little offender quail under his rebuke. Jesus Christ often manifested strongly these two emotions. He wept over Jerusalem, and yet he tells the reason, in a manner that shows his burning indignation against their conduct. "O Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee!"--Ah! what a full view he had of their wickedness, at the moment that he wept with compassion for the doom that hung over them. It is just so with this class of Christians. You never find one of them addressing a sinner so as merely to make him weep because somebody is weeping for him. But his most tender appeals are accompanied with strong rebuke for sin.
I wish you to remember this point--that the true friend of God and man never takes the sinner's part, because he never acts through mere compassion. And at the same time, he is never seen to denounce the sinner, without at the same time manifesting compassion for his soul, and a strong desire to save him from death.
5. It is a prominent object with such Christians, in all their intercourse with men, to make them friends of God.
Whether they converse, or pray, or attend to the duties of life, it is their prominent object to recommend religion and to lead everybody to glorify God. It is very natural they should do this, if they are the true friends of God. A true friend of the government wishes every body to be a friend of the government. A true and affectionate child wishes every body to love and respect his father. And if any one is at enmity, it is his constant aim and effort to bring him to reconciliation. The same you would expect from a true friend of God, as a leading feature of his character, that he would make it a PROMINENT object of his life to reconcile sinners to God.
Now, mark me! If this is not the leading feature of your character, if it is not the absorbing topic of thought and effort to reconcile men to God, you have not the root of the matter in you. Whatever appearance of religion you may have, you lack the leading and fundamental characteristic of true piety. It wants the leading feature of the character and aims of Jesus Christ, and of his apostles and prophets. Look at them, and see how this feature stands out in strong and eternal relief, as the leading characteristic, the prominent design and object of their lives. Now let me ask you, what is the leading object of your life, as appears in your daily walk? Is it to bring all God's enemies to submit to him? If not, away with your pretensions to religion. Whatever else you have, you have not the true love of God in you.
6. Where there are persons of this class, you will see them scrupulously avoid every thing that in their estimation is calculated to defeat their great end.
They always wish to avoid every thing calculated to prevent the salvation of souls, every thing calculated to divert attention, or in any way to hinder the conversion of souls. It is not the natural question with them, when any thing is proposed which is doubtful, to ask, "Is this something which God expressly forbids?" The first question that naturally suggests itself to their minds is, "What will be the bearing of this upon religion? Will it have a tendency to prevent the conversion of sinners, to hinder the progress of revivals, to roll back the wheels of salvation?" If so, they do not need the thunders of Sinai to be pealed in their ears, to forbid their doing it. If they see it contrary to the spirit of holiness, and contrary to the main object they have in view, that is enough.
Look at the temperance reformation for an illustration of this. Here let me say, that it was the influence of intemperance in hindering the conversion and salvation of sinners that first turned the attention of the benevolent men who commenced the reformation, to inquire on the subject. And the same class of persons are still carrying it on. Such men do not stand and cavil at every step of the way, and say "Drinking rum is no where prohibited in the Bible and I do not feel bound to give it up." They find that it hinders the great object for which they live, and that is enough for them, they give it up of course. They avoid whatever they see would hinder revival, as a matter of course, just as a merchant would avoid any thing that had a tendency to impair his credit, and defeat his object of making money by his business. Suppose a merchant was about to do something that you knew would injuriously affect his credit, and you go to him in the spirit of friendship and advise him not to do it, would he turn round and say, "Show me the passage where God has prohibited this in the Bible?" No. He don't[sic.] ask you to show him any thing more than this, that it is inconsistent with his main design.
Mark this, all of you. A person who is strongly desirous of the conversion of sinners does not need an express prohibition to prevent his doing that which he sees is calculated to prevent this. There is no danger of his doing that which will defeat the very object of his life.
7. This class of professing Christians are always distressed, unless they see the work of converting sinners going on.
They call it a lamentable state of things in the church, if no sinners are converted. No matter what else is true, no matter how rich the congregation grows, nor how popular their minister, nor how many come to hear him, their panting hearts are uneasy unless they see the work of conversion actually going on. They see that all the rest is nothing without this--yea, that even the means of grace are doing more hurt than good, unless sinners are converted.
Such professors as these are a great trouble to those who are religious from other motives, and who therefore wish to keep all quiet and have every thing go on regularly in the good old way. They are often called "uneasy spirits in the church." And mark it! if a church has a few such spirits in it, the minister will be made uneasy unless his preaching is such as to convert sinners. You sometimes hear of these men reproving the church, and pouring out their expostulations for living so cold and worldly, and the church reply, "O, we are doing well enough, do you not see how we flourish, it is only because you are always uneasy." When in fact their hearts are grieved and their souls in agony because sinners are not converted and souls are pressing down to hell.
8. You will see them when manifesting a spirit of prayer, praying not for themselves but for sinners.
If you know the habitual tenor of people's prayers, it will show which way the tide of their feelings sets. If a man is actuated in religion mainly by a desire to save himself, you will hear him praying chiefly for himself--that he may have his sins pardoned and enjoy much of the Spirit of God, and the like. But if he is truly the friend of God and man, you will find that the burden of his prayers is for the glory of God in the salvation of sinners, and he is never so copious and powerful in prayer, as when he gets upon his favorite topic--the conversion of sinners. Go into the prayer meeting where such Christians pray, and instead of seeing them all shut up in the nutshell of their own interests, spending their whole prayer upon themselves, and just closing with a flourish about the kingdom of Christ, you will hear them pouring out their souls in prayer for the salvation of sinners. I believe there have been cases of such Christians who were so much absorbed in their desires for the salvation of sinners, that for weeks together they did not even pray for their own salvation. Or if they pray for themselves at all, it is that they may be clothed with the Spirit of God, so that they can go out and be mighty through God in pulling souls out of the fire.
You that are here can tell how it is with your prayers, whether you feel most and pray most for yourself or for sinners. If you know nothing about the spirit of prayer for sinners, you are not the true friend of God and man. What! no heart to feel, when sinners are going to hell by your side! No sympathy with the Son of God, who gave his life to save sinners! Away with all such professions of religion. "If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." Don't tell me men are truly pious, when their prayers are droned over, as much a matter of form as when the poor Popish priest counts over his beads. Such a man deceives himself, if he talks about being the true friend of God and man.
9. These persons do not want to ask what are the things they are required to do for the conversion of sinners.
When any thing is presented to them that promises success in converting sinners, they do not wait to be commanded to do it, on pains and penalties if they do not. They only want the evidence that it is calculated to advance the object on which their hearts are set, and they will engage in it with all their soul. The question is not with them all the while, "What am I expressly commanded to do?" but, "In what way can I do most for the salvation of souls, and the conversion of the world to God?" They do not wait for an express command in the Bible, before they will engage in the work of missions, or Sabbath schools, or any other enterprise that promises to save souls; but they are ready to every good word and work.
10. Another characteristic of such Christians is a disposition to deny themselves to do good to others.
God has established throughout all the universe the principle of giving. Even in the natural world, the rivers, the ocean, the clouds, all give. It is so throughout the whole kingdom of nature and of grace. This diffusive principle is every where recognized. This is the very spirit of Christ. He sought not to please himself, but to do good to others. He found his highest happiness in denying himself to do good to others. So it is with this class of persons, they are ever ready to deny themselves of enjoyments and comforts, and even of necessaries, when by so doing they can do more good to others.
11. They are continually devising new means and new measures for doing good.
This is what would be expected from their continual desire to do good. Instead of being satisfied with what does not succeed, they are continually devising new ways and means to effect their object. They are not like those persons who make themselves satisfied with doing what they call their DUTY. Where an individual is aiming mainly at his own salvation, he may think if he does his duty he is discharged from responsibility, and so he is satisfied--he thinks he has escaped from divine wrath and gained heaven for himself, by doing what God required him to do, and he cannot help it, whether sinners are saved or lost. But with the other class, it is not so much their object to gain heaven and avoid wrath, but their leading object is to save souls and to honor God. And if this object is not advanced, they are in pain. Such a man is the one whose soul is all the while devising liberal things, and trying new things, and if one fails, trying another and another, and cannot rest till he has found something that will succeed in the salvation of souls.
12. They always manifest great grief when they see the church asleep and doing nothing for the salvation of sinners.
They know the difficulty--the impossibility of doing anything considerable for the salvation of sinners while the church are asleep. Go into a church where the great mass are doing nothing for the conversion of sinners, and floating along on the current of the world, and you will find that the true friends of God and man are grieved at such a state of things. Those who have other objects in view in being religious, may think they are going on very well. They are not grieved when they see the professed people of God going after show and folly. But if there are any of this class, you will find them grieved and distressed at heart, because the church is in such a state.
13. They are grieved if they see reason to think their minister temporizes, or does not reprove the church pointedly and faithfully for their sins.
The other classes of professors are willing to be rocked to sleep, and willing their minister should preach smooth, flowery and eloquent sermons, and flattering sermons, with no point and no power. But these are not satisfied unless he preaches powerfully and pointedly, and boldly, and rebukes and entreats and exhorts, with all long-suffering and doctrine. Their souls are not fed, or edified, or satisfied with any thing that does not take hold, and do the work for which the ministry was appointed by Jesus Christ.
14. This class of persons will always stand by a faithful minister, who preaches the truth boldly and pointedly.
No matter if the truth he preaches hits them, they like it, and say, Let the righteous smite me, and it shall be an excellent oil. When the truth is poured forth with power, their souls are fed, and grow strong in grace. They can pray for such a minister. They can weep in their closet, and pour out their souls in prayer for him, that he may have the Spirit of God always with him. While others scold and cavil at him and talk about his being extravagant, and all that, you will find Christians of this sort will stand by him, yea, and would go to the stake with him for the testimony of Jesus. And this they do for the best of all reasons--such preaching falls in with the great design for which these Christians live.
15. This sort of Christians are especially distressed when ministers preach sermons not adapted to convert sinners.
I mean when the sermon is not specially addressed to the church, to stir them up. Others may approve the sermon, and praise it, and tell what a great sermon it is, or how eloquent, or lucid or grand or sublime, but it does not suit them if it lacks this one characteristic--a tendency to convert sinners. You will find some people that are great sticklers for the doctrine of election, and they will not believe it is a gospel sermon unless it has the doctrine of election in it, but if the doctrine of election is in it they are suited whether it is adapted to convert sinners or not.--But where a man has his heart set on the conversion of sinners, if he hears a sermon not calculated to do this, he feels as if it lacked the great thing that constitutes a gospel sermon. But if they hear a sermon calculated to save souls, then they are fed and their souls rejoice.
Hence you see the ground for the astonishing difference you often find in the judgment which people pass upon preaching. There is in fact no better test of character than this. It is easy to see who they are that are filled with the love of God and of souls, by the judgment which they pass upon preaching. The true friends of God and man, when they hear a sermon that is not particularly designed to probe and rouse the church and bring them to action, if it is not such as to bear down on sinners and does not tend to convert sinners, it is not the sermon for them.
16. You will always find this class of persons speaking in terms of dissatisfaction with themselves, that they do no more for the conversion of sinners.
However much they may really do for this object, it seems that the more they do the more they long to do. They are never satisfied. Instead of being satisfied with the present degree of their success, there is no end of their longing for the conversion of sinners. I recollect a good man, who used to pray till he was exhausted with praying for individuals and for places and for the world's conversion. Once when he was quite exhausted with praying, he exclaimed "Oh! my longing, aching heart! There is no such thing as satisfying my unutterable desires for the conversion of sinners. My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath." That man, though he had been useful beyond almost any other man of his age, yet he saw so much to do, and he so longed to see the work go forward and sinners saved, that his mortal frame could not sustain it. "I find," said he one day, "that I am dying for want of strength to do more to save the souls of men; Oh, how much I want strength, that I may save souls."
17. If you wish to move this class of persons, you must make use of motives drawn from their great and leading object.
If you wish to move them, you must hold up the situation of sinners, and show how they dishonor God, and you will find this will move their souls and set them on fire sooner than any appeal to their hopes and fears. Roll on them this great object. Show them how they can convert sinners, and their longing hearts beat and wrestle with God in prayer, and travail for souls, until they see them converted and Christ formed in them the hope of glory.
I might mention many other characteristics which belong to this class of professing Christians-- the true friends of God and man, did time and strength permit. But I must stop here, and postpone the consideration of the other two classes till next Friday evening, if we are spared and the Lord permit.
Now, do you belong to this class, or not? I have mentioned certain great fundamental facts, which when they exist, indicate the true character of individuals, by showing what is their main design and object in life. You can tell whether this is your character. When I come upon the other part of the subject, I shall endeavor to describe those classes of professing Christians, whose religious zeal, prayers and efforts have another design, and to show their character and how this design is carried out.
And now, beloved, I ask you before God, have you these characteristics of a child of God? Do you KNOW they belong to you? Can you say, "O Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee, and that these are the features of my character!"
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Blogger's note:

The above post is taken and posted here mainly because some teachings of the author Charles Finney are very relevant and essential for this generation of Christians who hardly read books in print. 
I strongly recommend reading at least some of his sermons in the above net site. I also recommend reading the following book which contains a lot of gems:

End Times watchman Adventure: Bible reading in Spirit and in Truth

The watchman went through an interval of personal training for himself. He took part in a 72 hours of Bible reading (non-stop).
Some participants read and some rested at the same time all in one common hall. Two languages were going on simultaneously. The group who read in English speed read and carried on without pause. Readers were fluent readers. The other group which consisted of mainly new Christians read in their vernacular language, of which some could hardly read. Some had never read the Bible before!There were not few words which were difficult to pronounce even to fluent vernacular readers in Bible!
The slow readers group paused from time to time to learn to pronounce a word and at times was briefed on what they were reading and how the prophets related to the history books. By the end however, the vernacular group caught up with the English readers as they put some of their fluent readers into a third group tp read non-stop. Eventually, the third group finished reading the whole Bible for the rest on time. So the whole congregation read the Book of Revelation together in unison alternating in two languages chapter by chapter until the end.

Statistics: SUMMARY OF KING JAMES BIBLE STATISTICS:

Total Books – 66  Total Chapters  1,189 Total Verses…31,102

Total words in the 31,102 verses – 788,258 (not including the Hebrew Alphabet in Psalm 119 or the superscriptions listed in some of the Psalms)

KJV Bible has 3,566,480 syllabus.

Chinese Bible Statistics (CUV): 1189 chapters; 31219 verses; 931698 words (all single syllabus).

「上帝版」和合本新旧约合计1,189章。其中旧约有929章，23,179节，706,875字。
新约260章，8,040节，224,823字。
和合本「上帝版」新旧约共1,189章，31,219节，931,698字。
圣经中文和合本译本共约931,698字，或另一统计(和合本神版)共930,222字，
约用3,186个不同的中文字。
「英文圣经钦定本KJV」计有3,566,480字母，810,697个字(较中文圣经少121,001个字)，
31,175节(比中文圣经少44节)。

One evening, the two groups read the word of God together in unison in the two languages alternately after midnight from Psalm one to Psalm 119! It was really wonderful and the watchman witnessed the power of the word of God when read in one Spirit! Of course the reading/proclaiming of Revelation together aloud as the grand finale was beyond words.
Personal encounter by the watchman:
The watchman experienced the words that he received prior the beginning of the reading, 1 Pet.4:12-13. He was at first told by his closed one that the verses she received for all those who would take part in the Bible reading was 1 Peter.4:1-2, and they were to be encouraged to fast solid food for 72 hours. But the watchman inadvertently broadcasted 1 Peter 4:12-13 ! How little did he know the latter verses were meant for him and the few who were in the same boat.
When he asked the Lord this morning about the differences of the two groups he received the following verse confirming the actions (as led by the Spirit) of both groups.

Psalm 19:7-11

New King James Version (NKJV)

⁷ The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
⁸ The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
⁹ The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
¹⁰ More to be desired are they than gold,
Yea, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
¹¹ Moreover by them Your servant is warned,
And in keeping them there is great reward.

Indeed, these confirmed the power of the word of God as in:
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
and 2 Tim3:16-17

¹⁶ All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Experiencing God and find gems here

The watchman found gems in these old books. They answered his many questions. he recommends them to those who need spiritual breakthrough! You will find what you seek.

Excerpts from Your Power in the Holy Spirit, “Consciousness of God” (John G. Lake):  “And I saw that the purpose of Jesus was to produce in the souls and bodies and spirits of man such a consciousness of the living, triune God that man became a king, a living king. I saw the dignity, I saw the power, I saw the manifestation of Spirit that Jesus purposed should be evident in the life of the person who has been really baptized into God – buried in Him, inducted into God, inducted into the nature of God the Father, into the nature of God the Son, into the nature of God the Holy Spirit.”
“Christianity is all contained in two letters: B-E. Not performing acts, but being the thing that God purposed.”
Excerpts from Holy Spirit Revivals, “My doctrinal Education” (Charles Finney): “The power to work miracles and the gifts of tongues were given as signs to attest the reality of their divine commission. But the baptism (of the Holy Spirit) itself was a divine purifying, an anointing bestowing on them a divine illumination and filling them with faith, love, peace, and power so that their words were made sharp in the hearts of God’s enemies, living and powerful, like a two edged sword (Hebrews 4:12).”
“Revivals of religion are sometimes accused of making people mad. But the fact is, men are naturally mad on the subject of religion, and revivals restore them rather making them mad.”
“Sunday morning I arose and left my lodgings in the hotel. In order to get alone, where I could let out my voice as well as my heart, I went up into the woods at some distance from the village and remained for a considerable time in prayer. However, I did not find relief, so I went up a second time; but the load upon my mind increased, and I did not find relief. I went up a third time, and then the answer came. I found that it was time for the meeting and went immediately to the schoolhouse. It was packed to its utmost capacity.”
Excerpts from Experiencing God’s Power, “Spiritual Warfare” (Derek Prince): “The warfare is in the spiritual realm; therefore, the weapons are spiritual and appropriate to the realm of the warfare. Theses weapons will be my main theme in the two following sections, “Our Defensive Armor” and “Weapons of Attack”. It is tremendously that we understand where the battle is taking place. ..We absolutely must understand that the battlefield is in the realm of the mind. “
“Satan deliberately and systematically builds strongholds in peoples’ minds. These strongholds and fortresses resist the truth of the Gospel and the Word of God and prevent people from being able to receive the message of the Gospel. What kind of strongholds does the Bible indicate? These are prejudices and preconception.”
“Prejudice is being down on what you are not up on.” “Almost anything about which religious people have not heard, they view with intense fear and suspicion.” “Don’t confuse me with the facts, my mind is made up!”
“Peoples are driven by their prejudices and preconceptions, often to their own destruction.” “The only way to deliver such people is to use our spiritual weapons and break down the strongholds in their minds.”
Excerpts from Experiencing God’s Presence, “The Presence of the Holy Spirit” (Charles Finney): “Why do many people no have the Spirit? It may be that they live a hypocrite life.” “Others are so frivolous that the Spirit will not dwell with them.” ” Others are so proud that they cannot have the Spirit.” “Some are so worldly minded that they cannot have the Spirit.”
“I never knew a person who was filled with the Spirit who was not called eccentric. The reason is that these people are unlike other people. They act under different influences, take different views, are moved by different motives, and are led by a different Spirit. You are to expect such remarks.”
“If you have the Spirit of God, you must make up your mind to accept experiencing opposition, both in the church and the world.” “If the church, sinners, and the Devil oppose you, there will be One with Whom you will have peace.” “Our peace toward God will flow like a river. You also have peace of conscience if you are led by the Spirit.” “Your conscience will be calm, quiet, and unruffled as a lake in summer.”
“If you are filled with the Spirit, you will be useful.”
“You will be calm under affliction.” (You will not find yourself distressed, annoyed, or worried when people speak against you).
Indeed, the watchman found a lot of treasures in them!

End Times Watchman started a new post : GOD’S WAY

“GOD’S WAY” is the only way in this end time, the watchman discovered. He was led in his spirit to start a new blog in this name:
"GOD’S WAY"
http://citizenheaven.wordpress.com/
There are many interesting pictures for collectors. Above is a sample.

End Times Watchman’s Witnessing: “By My Spirit” said the Lord

The watchman went on an unusual journey in order to deliver an important message and carry out a prophetic act. He did not expect to go until around midnight before departure. He was praying and asking the Lord a number of questions.
Then he asked about the journey a household member would be taking with another brethren the next day. The answer came to him in three groups of verses as one overall message for someone at the destination of that journey. But he wanted specific confirmation to whether he needed to travel personally. The answer came as follows:

“We are traveling together to guard against any criticism for the way we are handling this generous gift. We are careful to be honorable before the Lord, but we also want everyone else to see that we are honorable.” (NLT 2 Cor.8:20-21)

The next morning he got up early to cook food for his two dogs, packed and stored in his refrigerator for someone to heat up and feed them daily during his absence. He also stocked up enough food for the rest of the household. He packed for a short trip as told by the Spirit. Another household member was not convinced and asked the Lord for second confirmation. She received the following verse (from the conversation between the prophets-disciples and the prophet Elisha):

2 Kings 6:3 [Then one said, "Please consent to go with your servants." And he (Elisha) answered, "I will go." ] So the watchman went on the sudden journey without further objection.

The whole time since waking up the watchman’s spirit was singing the song based on Zechariah 4:6b ["Not by might, not by power, but by My Spirit", said the Lord of Hosts. ] Only when he started driving the song stopped.
He was told that the person to whom the message was intended was not available until the third day. So he had to wait at the destination until the third day.
On the first day (Lesson One: sons of God are led by the Holy Spirit): They started the journey around noon and arrived late. The same evening, he was asked to attend a prayer meeting in a prayer house. He attended. A woman who could not stop talking came to his companion and kept talking.She brought her neighbor there for healing. By the time she told them that she was an anointed evangelist and busily saving souls instead of “wasting her time to read the Bible or attend church”, he closed his eyes and saw the ‘spirit’ speaking through her. So he stopped his companion from responding politely to the lady. He even made some impatient judgmental remarks on her ‘manifestation’ to others.
However, when he returned to his room around 1am he could not sleep. He was convicted by a passage in Luke 10 which he was led in the spirit to read a number of times lately. The chapter described at length how Jesus appointed seventy disciples in addition to the original twelve and sent them into where He Himself was about to go and how they returned and gave glowing report.

The same chapter also taught on the two Golden Commandments of God: Love God. Love your neighbor. The second law is tough. Instead of asking who my neighbor is I need to ask who I am to others. Am I a neighbor? God looks at whether I am a neighbor. There is no condition on who others are to me.

The watchman was led to recall two other recent incidents which happened all within the week prior his travel. Incident one: Two lady bank staff came to him and asked at length about their stiff and painful knees (and the watchman noted then that the medical system and their religion did not give them divine healing). Incident Two: One newspaper man talked at length about his being a very sick man and that he had reached a point now that he had to rely on himself as taught by his religion to continue bearing the suffering on earth. On both occasions the watchman responded politely but rather impatiently according to his own convenience. He did not witness clearly how Jesus had healed him and his loved ones and could heal them too. He merely mentioned divine healing briefly and gave them the amount of time he thought was sufficient as he though he had other ‘more urgent’ things to do after a while!

But the Spirit of the Lord asked, “Are you a neighbor?” He was convicted and repented. As he confessed and repented, he was convicted of his ‘loveless’ old nature.

Incident Three: About the lady who could not stop talking. He noted how others in the prayer meeting did not respond the way he did to the lady. They remained in peace and let the Spirit of the Lord take charge. They accepted her and extended to her hospitality just as a good neighbor would do.
So on Day One of this recent journey on special ‘mission” he failed his first lesson, “sons of God are led by the Spirit”. However, he prayed for another chance to practice this. The Lord answered the following day.
On Day Two (sons of God do the works of the Son of God -Jesus): the spirit in him sang and woke him up with the song from 1 John 3:8b “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”
 
He sang this on and on until the watchman was wide awake. He went to a Bible reading and prayer staff meeting that morning. They took turn to read the Bible verse by verse, from psalms and the whole Book of Philippians. After that the others proceeded to take their breakfast. One elderly lady staff stayed behind. She told him to help one woman and read psalms in her language. He happened to know her language. She was left alone in one corner as others could not read her language. She talked to herself and made animal noises (like swine snorting) at random and was told by others to shut up from time to time during Bible reading time.He was told that her grown son had put her there as he had to work.
So the watchman borrowed a Bible in her language and read with her. She could not read on her own. She was willing to repeat after him, verse by verse. After about half an hour or more the others came back, so the watchman stopped and left. Looking back he was amazed at his patience and acceptance of that woman. He was given a second chance and this time he followed the Holy Spirit. But he was not sure and did not cast out the swine’s spirit (Mark 5:13)
Day Three (sons of God march on, being in the heavenly victory procession): The watchman was woken by the song in his spirit,

Psalm 68:1-4, followed by Judges 5:2-3, 31a. Specifically, the spirit sang, “Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered” and “But let those who Love Him be like the sun when it comes out in full strength.”

As his appointment was in the late afternoon he had the bulk of the day to himself. He rested in the Lord and met the appointed person and delivered the Lord’s message and carried out a prophetic act.
That evening he saw the ‘swine-possessed’ woman in a prayer meeting and she looked more in peace. The meeting went on for over four hours and she started her animal noises after midnight. However, no one was bothered. She stayed at her corner and continued snorting. Prior the start of the meeting, he also saw another young girl being ‘dragged’ as she clung to the floor at the doorway into the meeting . She had been accompanied there by her parents for healing for quite sometime, he was told.

That night he asked the Lord many questions. He perceived in his spirit that this ‘group’ had advanced toward a ‘higher’ level of Kingdom of God living. They had trained youth disciples well versed in singing and praying Bible verses ministering to the Lord in heavenly realm. The two young worship leaders replicated exactly what the senior pioneer preacher had spoken or prayed or taught. The watchman was told that most of their local meetings were mainly attended by the regulars now. The group had changed its ministry focus to preaching the Gospels to foreigners and claiming their nations for the Lord. He was told they had no manpower for that local ‘swine-possessed’ woman.

(1) The first big question the watchman asked the Lord was whether the requirement to fill the Wedding Great Supper according to Luke 14:13 and 21 was already over. The Lord actually mentioned twice the same group of ‘guests’ to be invited: the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. Are the number for the locals filled? He asked. He received the answer that like the Book of Acts, the events are repeatable for different ministry groups at different locations at different times. Only the Father in heaven knows when the number is up. He has to follow the Holy Spirit.
(2) His second question concerns money (and manpower). In the same chapter 14, Jesus warned, v28 “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it-…” v31 “Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?”
He knew he had to follow the Holy Spirit and not his analytical mind or emotion.
By 2am he was very tired. In answer, his NLT Bible opened to 2 Chronicles 3:1-2

“So Solomon began to build the Temple of the Lord…on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, the site that David had selected. The construction began in mid-spring (April/May)…”

Day Four: The watchman woke and felt rested. He continued the previous day’s question on winding up business and offering the premises for divine use.

His NKJV Bible opened to 1 Chronicles 21:26 “And David built there (watchman’s remark: on the threshing floor of the Jebusite, which David bought) an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called on the Lord; and He answered him from heaven by fire on the altar of burnt offering.” After receiving this second confirmation he felt peace. It is awesome that both answers refer to the same event, building the Temple of God!

In the physical realm, both King David and King Solomon had ample wealth. David purchased the land, built an altar, and prepared all the materials needed for the building of the Temple. The Temple building construction project was duly started and completed by Solomon according to plan and pattern given in heaven. Neither king had any lack.

Thus, during this unusual spiritual journey, the watchman thus resolved important personal issues through seeking and asking the Lord, while attending to other spiritual matters. He slept few hours but felt rested and refreshed in the Presence of the Lord.

He left for his next destination before noon and arrived well and fit, finding to his surprise the long awaited rain had come, washed and cooled the whole country side prior his arrival. He has always found the Lord answering his parched needs by opening His personal storehouse in heaven and send forth His rich resources!

His fasting also went well as he hardly felt it and the four days had passed quickly and fully. This was indeed a Kingdom journey led by the Spirit of the Lord!

In summary, the lessons for the sons of God are:
1. Led by the Holy Spirit in every aspect of life.
2. Live the lifestyle of Kingdom of God on earth, desiring and expecting to fulfill mission on earth as sons of God (just as the Son of God Himself had commanded His disciples).
3. Pray and intercede according to God’s words prompted by the Holy Spirit (use spiritual gifts and authority of sons of God).
4. Trust God to provide answers. Never tire of praying and seeking Him. Never give up. 

Mark 10:27 (ESV)Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”