Parable of the Steel Foundary
Brother Freedom called me today [August 2, 2005] after his morning walk. God almost always speaks to him on his early morning exercise trek. That is God’s and Freedom’s time alone. Freedom was so excited when he called. He wanted to tell me what the Lord had spoken to him.
First the Lord told him that when God does mighty works there is “NO tangible connection.” In other words God works in ways that are totally above and beyond our five senses. We are not able to see, feel, smell or touch the mechanisms by which The Almighty does HIS glorious works. HIS handiwork just appears. It just happens. And it takes faith to believe that it is the Lord doing it.
Then the Lord gave him two Scripture references out of the blue. The Holy Spirit said that these two Scriptures describe the condition of much of the Church in this hour. Brother Freedom told me the references. Freedom had purposely not looked up these scriptures, but waited to have me read the Scripture to him. “Brother Clint, will you look them up now and tell me what they say?” Of course I was eager to do so. Here is what I read to Freedom over the phone, from the Word of God:
“And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.“ [Deuteronomy 28:29]
“And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.“ [Acts 5:8]
This is what the first verse declares to me:
God is saying that much of the church is in a terrible condition of spiritual blindness. The church organization has gone so far down the wrong road that they have passed the point of finding any natural way back. The blindness is so complete that it can be compared to having no eyes at all; for the noonday Sun is useless to one who has no eyes. In this terrible condition there will be no advancement, no increase, no improvement. And as long as the condition continues, those locked into that kind of religious mode will continue to suffer oppression and spiritual decay. To further complicate the matter it says that the condition is so advanced that there is no human help they can turn to. The RX for this problem is beyond the scope of human ability.
The second Scripture is from the story of Ananias and Sapphira. They were members of the very early Jerusalem, First Century church. They concocted a lie. They wanted the church to believe that they were giving the total sum from the sale of a valuable possession to the Lord. In reality they lied about the sale price, so that they could hold back part of the money for a rainy day and still appear to be making a big sacrifice for God.
The Holy Spirit revealed this lie to the Apostle, Peter. Peter spoke to them individually. When Peter specifically asked each one again if they had sold the property for the amount placed in the offering, they each repeated their lie as the truth. Then Peter announced to them that this lie was against the Holy Spirit of God Almighty, and that their physical life would terminate at that second. When he informed them that it was all over, Ananias and Sapphira each fell dead at Peter’s feet.
When the Lord gave that Scripture to Brother Freedom it spoke to me. God is saying that the organized church is doing things that are reproachful against the Holy Ghost of God Almighty. There are lies going out from the leadership of the church. And perhaps the leadership is so blinded by tradition that they don’t know they are relaying lies. Teaching wrong doctrines amounts to lying. It is very serious to be caught promulgating wrong teachings that are not God’s Word. And apparently the modern day church is way off base in some of it’s doctrine, from God’s perspective. And God’s perspective is the one perspective that absolutely counts and truly matters!
The Lord also sketched a parable to Brother Freedom. He told a story that Freedom says I am to develop on as the Holy Spirit leads me.
The Holy Spirit told Freedom that God’s people are like steel foundry workers. In a foundry, metal is heated to thousands of degrees, until it becomes a super hot liquid. The fiery liquid is then moved in very large buckets, by cranes and lifting devices. The molten metal is then poured, or cast, into forms to cool into useful parts that are later used in construction and the fabrication of ships, trains, automobiles, girders and plate metal.
The heat is so intense in a foundry, and the splattering of molten metal is so plenteous that workers must wear hard hats, heavy gloves, eye protection, special and heavy clothing. These “handlers” of the hot metal must work inside certain designated safe zones, so as not to get burned alive when they pour the super-heated liquid into molds.
The foundry workers are metal “handlers.” They do not need to know much about the chemistry or metallurgy of the molten liquid they pour!! They have little need to know about the molecular make-up of the metal they are working with. What they need to know about is “how to handle the hot metal safely.” Their work is extremely dangerous. Safety and correct handling procedures are what they must be experts in.
Then the Holy Spirit went on to say that God’s people today do not have the protections needed to handle God’s Holy Word safely. Instead God’s people are trying to study and learn about the molecular make-up of God’s Word. They are trying to discover the science of God’s Word. And they are working at becoming experts in dissecting God’s Word. The inward working secrets of God’s Word is none of their business. It is a proprietary secret that their puny minds cannot fathom! They need to be learning how to safely and correctly handle God’s Word.
The Spirit of God said that God’s Word is beyond their knowledge, beyond their ability to comprehend. Such knowledge is the exclusive area of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost. God has not called HIS people to be “material inspectors!” HE has instead called HIS people to be “material handlers.”
The Word of God is like that molten metal. Those who handle it must have the protection of the Holy Spirit. Even the Bible says, that the raw “letter killeth.” [See 2nd Corinthians 3:6] God’s Word is so potent, so hot, so amazing, so awesome that you don’t lightly handle it. You must have the insulation and guidance of the Holy Spirit to safely use it. But many of God’s people treat the Word lightly. They treat it like some old, ancient antiquity, an old letter of President Washington found in a trunk. They want to dissect the letter and study it and learn all about it.
Because of this wrongful usage of God’s Word many are being damaged. The hot sparks, the flaming Words burn them and bring a touch of death. But if they would concentrate on having the attire and guidance of the Holy Ghost they could become experts in handling the Word. They could be directed from on High by God to utilize the Word in correct and proper ways. And then life would come by the direction of the Spirit of God, directing the use of the Word of God.
We must stop being “inspectors” of the Word of God and become “handlers” of the Word of God, wearing all the protective gear supplied by the in-filling and covering and guidance of the Holy Spirit!
It is very needful for God’s people to become holy and pure. Without holiness it is impossible to please God. [See Hebrews 12:14] And without holiness there is no protection from the power of God’s Word when we handle it improperly. It takes the mighty aid of the Holy Spirit for us to be able to handle the Word of God appropriately.
clint