Now go in my authority and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 20 And teach them to faithfully follow[a] all that I have commanded you. And never forget that I am with you every day, even to the completion of this age.” (Matt 28:19-20, TPT)
I stand in awe to the transforming power of our Lord. How He has brought so many from the confines of darkness into His glorious light. Turned the discarded into the revered. The lost and lonely into the found who are never left alone. Those in need of being rescued to those who rescue others.
I could go on and on about the Greatness of our God, but I do not have enough ink nor paper to right a book with no ending, for indeed it is a truth that God’s Greatness is endless. Yet the one thing stands true, our Great God is a loving Father who desire the best for all His children.
From an early child, I was always wondering if there were such a God and if so how could I come to know Him. I heard many a sermon growing up, got saved at 15 yrs. old, back slide for a season and returned as a prodigal son at age 34. From there I went to ministry school, even earning a doctorate degree in “Theology” which is supposed to be an understanding of who God is and even preached about him for 10 plus years. Yet personally I still longed to not just know about Him, but to personally know Him. You see all the sermons, all the teachings, all the schooling didn’t bring me one step closer to knowing God than when I was a child listening to a minister speak of Him.
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13)
Now, in all those years I would run across people who seemed to really know Him, in fact there was something about them in hearing them speak that you could tell they knew Him. If fact there where times when I would be around these people that there was a peace that was on them that was so powerful it was like a powerful tangible force.
I used to pray and ask, what am I missing here? Had I lived my life in such a great darkness that even though from time to time I would feel His love it would never stay with me. Had my sins been so great that I couldn’t experience what these people had experienced? Years of religious teachings had left their mark on my life, they had imprisoned me into a deeper dungeon of despair than when I had not been following Jesus.
The agony of this plagued my life, it interrupted my relationship with the Father, my family, my wife, son and even regarding ministry. I walked around with feelings of guilt and condemnation. Now I could listen to a worship song, a good sermon or read an encouraging book and these things would leave me a temporary sense of peace but nothing lasted. All I needed to do was think about my past, whether it was something I did or something someone did to me and that peace would evaporate quickly. I could be standing in a room full of people and yet feel all alone.
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:1-2)
For all those years this scripture had escaped my understanding and trust me I had read it and re-read it hundreds of times. Yet the revelation of it’s spiritual truth never hit me even when other people would break it down. Why Lord, I would cry out, can I not experience this truth. Again, the poison of religion had so drugged me that this scripture was completely blurred as to my understanding. I found myself rationalizing that I needed to pray more, give more, work more and once I had done enough, then I could finally experience it. So, I spent years just doing that and then I would slip up and guilt and condemnation would rush in, I failed again. Now I would have to start all over!
I had become so tired of this cycle that I began to think that either this isn’t real or that I had simply been so good at being a sinner, I had gone past the point of turning back, maybe we were never meant to experience here on earth, after all we are all just “sinners” saved by grace, right?
Around the fall of 2014, I had concluded that I would never experience what others had obtained. That even though I could preach about the love of God and redemption to others, as for myself it was a done deal, I would never personally experience it. Over the next several months I ran on empty, I had learned how to wear a mask in front of other as though everything was great, but inside I was dying more and more.
In February of 2015, I had decided I was going to leave the ministry, marriage and my son. I didn’t want to hurt any of them and felt it best to get as far away as possible. I had already made plans to go to a retreat in late March, so I figured once I got back I would break the news. Now, it wasn’t because I didn’t love my wife, my son and even helping others. It was because I had become so full of hatred toward myself I just new I couldn’t play the game of hiding it any more.
About 24 days from the retreat I decided that I would fast for 21 days. On might ask if I was done why would I waste any more time fasting and expect God was going to answer? Because I had met a man, a prophet who said that I didn’t know anything about the love of God. At first it made me angry and I told him “brother, you know nothing about me, I’ve been preaching about God’s love for years”. He replied “I know, but you’ve never experienced it yourself. But get ready for very soon God is going to bring you to the place of experiencing it so powerfully your life will never be the same.” Now, this birthed a seed of hope in me that was almost quenched by doubt. I had heard the message of God’s great love most of my life, yet I had truthfully as he said never experienced it. And after all, hadn’t “I” done everything that was supposed to be done to experience it? Yet, what this man said had planted a seed of hope that gave me just enough expectation to believe it just might happen.
So, I fasted and prayed & prayed all the way up to the retreat. The retreat was from Saturday afternoon thru to Monday night, then everyone would be leaving first thing Tuesday morning. By Monday afternoon I came to the realization, that the hope was just a dead seed given to the wrong person. I struggled with going to the last evening meeting. In fact, I almost didn’t go and was going to simply say that my stomach was upset and stay in my room and sneak out early in the a.m. But I ended up going and sat in the hallway behind everyone.
The night was almost over, when a pastor from a local ministry who had attended that night after meeting our little group in the afternoon walked past me to go to the rest room. It wasn’t by chance I came to find out later that they were there, as they almost didn’t go because of a previous ministry engagement which ended up canceling. On his way back into the group, he stopped and looked at me for a second, then he bent down and whispered, “The Father is inviting you to His table tonight”. By that point I was like ok, thank you for the kind words.
The meeting ended, and I went to my room as people were remained in fellowship with one another. For some reason the walk up those stairs to the third floor was harder and longer than before. My spirit was broken, the fasting, the praying and everything else was just a waste of time. Indeed, I would never experience what I had so desired even from a young age.
I entered the room fully depressed and packed everything that night, so I could slip out unnoticed in the morning. I looked at my Bible which I read every night before going to bed and left it on the table figuring that maybe I could read it in the morning. It was hard going to sleep wondering how I could explain to my wife and son that I was going to leave. But eventually I fell asleep. I was awoken to the voice of someone calling me to wake up. I looked at the alarm clock and it read “1:43 a.m.”, I turned on the light and nobody was there, I opened the door and looked down the hallway and nobody was there. I remember turning around thinking I must have been dreaming and upon closing the door I heard the voice again and this time I heard “Open My Word”. I looked at the Bible and sat down and opened it, it opened to John 3:16.
Once I finished the last word “Life” it was like I was whisked away in a dream. I went all the way back to the age of around 3 years old and a scene that had been in my memory all those years. My father drunk, having beat my mother was trying to put my brothers arm into the rollers on the washing machine and I was crawling out of my high chair to go into the cabinet under the sink to hide. For those who don’t remember that era click here. Then from that point on I was shown the Father’s love and it was so powerful it was far more than a feeling, it was like a hot liquid heat that I could even feel in my bones. And it wasn’t just shown during the times when things where bad, it was even when things were good. It wasn’t just when things were being done to me, it was even in times when I was at my worst.
It ended and upon opening my eyes, I realized that I was still in my room at the retreat. I quickly looked at the clock for it seemed like it lasted for hours. The time on the clock read “1:45 a.m.”. At that very moment I felt in my room that powerful force that I had only experienced in others lives, but this time it was around me and in me. Needless to say, I started crying yet now it was tears of joy not pain or depression. I tried going back to sleep but I couldn’t I was too excited. I ended up staying up until around 6:30 am reading my Bible yet now it was like reading it for the very first time and every letter was alive.
I felt like a new man who had been giving a new life. I tried thinking back to times which previously would either cause pain of guilt and I couldn’t as I could only feel the Father love and forgiveness. I was indeed set free for the first time in my life and I had a new purpose & calling – Share the Father’s love. (It wasn’t really new, it was simply the first time I actually saw His true purpose and calling for my life)
Now that isn’t to say Holy Spirit’s work in my life is complete. There was and still are areas of character that have been challenged with His loving correction, torn down and rebuilt in His image. I would love to say I’ve never made a mistake since then, but I have made mistakes and He has lovingly during times of discipline shown me a better way, one that testifies to His living in me and His character.
I can tell you that I had to throw out all the man-made doctrines that I had been engrained with, asking Holy Spirit to remove the strength of them from my memory. I have since learned a new doctrine, according to the teachings of Christ and His apostles through the revelation of Holy Spirit. And I am still learning. But one thing I know “He loves me” and there is no power in this world or in darkness that can take that away from me.
He has taught me the importance of true discipleship which is through relationship not religion or programs. In fact, I have come to the place where religion is easily detected and even has a smell that I recognize because I was so deep in the prison of religion and legalism that the sewer rats looked down with pity at me. When you’ve been around someone or something long enough, you become familiar with how they look and even smell. I had gone from an addicted life of drugs into a life of addiction to religion, works and legalism. I was a slave taken captive by all three but today, Praise God, I am as Paul claimed, a bond-servant unto Christ Jesus my lord, completely set free.
Today with a great sadness, I look out and see so many religious organization and religious institutions running with worldly wisdom steeped in worldly philosophies, building platforms and programs attempting to help people. Now, these are all good intentions, but you know what they say about good intentions, the highway to hell is paved with them. Good people trying to help people, yet it is like trying to fill a bucket with water using a strainer. The people cycle around and around doing 360’s. They are not being set free rather they are being held captive to religious dogma’s that offer no long-lasting freedom.
It’s time to get back to the basic and foundational teachings of Jesus Christ in order to see individuals, cities, regions and nations transformed. Jesus said to “disciple” people by teaching them what He has taught, not by the opinions of what He said according to man’s understanding but by the Holy Spirit empowered teachings of the Master and His apostles. We need to teach via the power of Holy Spirit, we need the fiery baptism of the Spirit. Jesus displayed the power of God and taught from that.
He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with him.” (John 3:2)
When was the last time a seminary taught this way?
Never, because a seminary is a structure set up by men to indoctrinate others according to their narrow understanding of scripture.
Now, there are a few good ministry schools out there but what works the best is for Holy Spirit baptized people to begin fathering and mothering disciples. Classes steeped in word of men with no displays of the power of God will give some a limited narrow viewed understanding. Yet when you see someone with cancer healed by the loving power of the Lord, that is a life transforming event. When you see blind eyes opened, deaf ears opened, mute tongues loosed, your life is impacted with a Spiritual truth that cannot be denied (John 14:10).
We need shepherds who dare not step into the pulpit unless they know their words are so drenched with the oils of Heaven that Holy Spirit can light on fire which is going to cause the hearts of the listeners to burn with a passion for the Father. Paul said the Kingdom of God does not come in word but in power (1 Cor 4:20).
The Father so longs to see His children being transformed into who He has purposed them to be and we need not strategize a new program or new teaching to see this done – we need to preach and teach the Word of God unadulterated in purity. We don’t need any “new” Churches in our cites, we need to pray that fire of God will engulf the ones already standing. We don’t need to rewrite the scriptures and produce modern styled preachers and modern styled talent shows, franchising them to appeal to the world. We don’t need mega churches, we need to go back and study the Book of Acts to see how and where they met and how the whole world was turned upside down. We simply need to lift of Jesus and watch what He can do!!!
Ask me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance and the ends of the earth as your own possession. (Psalms 2:8)
We need to stop looking to the governments of this world to be the answer and start praying that Bride of Christ is awakened and begins to walk as the sons & daughters of God, for then will not the nations of this world take notice?
Prayer taken out of schools, abortion, and many other ills of this nation can not be blamed on any political party, it is rather because of the sleeping Church, for we are empowered and authorized to release the governmental rule of Heaven here on earth. We should be defining the culture around us not the world.
We need to stop being a Body believers which only moves with reaction, such as the anger that has swelled up in recent years and to hatred expressed toward the LGBT community. We need to be pushing the gates of hell right out of society with the revelation of who Jesus is and who we are in Him.
Let’s be real here, the movements like the LGBT have only occupied what the Church has surrendered, and a message of hate will not reach them. We need to live our lives in such a degree of relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit that they will become jealous of God’s favor on our lives and seek after it, desiring to know God the way we do. Show me where Jesus showed hate toward any group of people. Yet we can clearly see how He did indeed challenged the governmental authorities of the temple, to show how they had allowed man made laws and traditions to separate the people from the Father.
The transforming power of God’s love is the same today as it was when it knocked one named Saul off from his ride and transformed him into the Apostle Paul, earth shaking teacher of God’s Love & Grace. What He has done for others, what He has done in my life, He can do in your life as well. He loves His Church, He loves His Children and He so desires to see each of us walk in His love and to be washed anew living in our true identities.
Living the Christian life is all but impossible to live through religion or even personal strength. In fact, it cannot be done through either. The only possible way to live the Christian life is via surrendering to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and allowing Holy Spirit to lead. For by Grace (John 1:14) we are saved, and we are ever so blessed to have Holy Spirit bring us into ALL spiritual truth, baptized in the Love of Christ, empowered by His Grace to live like Him.
You too can experience His love today, with surrendered heart, ask Him and watch your life be transformed.
It’s one of things that I have come to see about the ministry at the RiverHouse, it’s about relational transformation, not about building a big church, but building big disciples. The same with the ministry the Lord blessed my wife and I with in 2005, Mighty Arm Ministries, it’s not about building anything rather it’s about setting captives free through the Father love. I wish back when He gave me the revelation of the name “For My arms are so mighty, there is not height nor depth that can escape My love”. Today I can look back and see where He was knocking on my hearts door to pour in His love, but I was too busy seeking man’s ways and religion to take the time to answer. You don’t need to make the same mistake. He’s knocking on the door of your heart today.
Today you can breathe, live and walk in the power of God’s love as true sons & daughters. You can impart His love into others, set captives free, lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. Simply smiling and telling someone that Jesus loves, is so powerful coming from the lips of one who knows it themselves that it can open the door to one’s heart allowing God in to set them free. You don’t need to go to the lengths of despair I went to, simply stop trying to figure it out with your intellect and believe it with faith, you don’t need to book the room I stayed in where the Lord visited me, if you need help with your faith, ask the Father and watch what He shall do.
In Christ,
Dr. Russ Welch, Th.D.
