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Monday, July 30, 2012

Are you Comfortable yet?

The Sleeping Bride of Christ (The World-Conformed Church)


Knock! Knock! House-Keeping! 

The worldly church is fast asleep
Under the mellow
♪ Tidings of comfortable and coy!
Comfortable! and Coy! ♪ and
TRADITION!...TRADITION!

But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “WAKE UP, O sleeper, and RISE from the dead, and Christ will SHINE on you.” (Ephesians 5:13-14)
(If you don't get this post then just watch the video I've added at the very end)





Hello InterVarsity family! First of all I would like to address the predicament aka HOT MESS we have put ourselves in. Yes, I said "we" but I'm talking to the older crowd, emphasis on the Staff and leaders - we are the people in the "aware" category in my BEHOLD! post...  but don't take heat that's not yours it's mostly for staff since the leaders are also unaware about somethings but feel free to act upon whatever you get convicted about ... a lot of the fellowship is in the "ignorant" category concerning the drama in the fellowship {But I'll fill you in. You can start at "Let My people Go!" post or just read on}... but it's about time we all graduate from those categories and move on up! 


I'm just doing what God told me to and it's for everyone's good :) But here's some confirmation in Scripture for you:
"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light  (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret." (Ephesians 5: 8-12)

"Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. Those persist in sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning." (1 Timothy 5: 19-20) There are much more than 3 witnesses to the deeds of darkness that Staff has been involved in and one of them is Staff themselves (the visions and dreams that God gave them and that they shared with us).So yeah this is a public rebuke as well as a desperate plea for Staff and for the rest of you take warning to not repeat the same mistakes and to be careful who you follow, also pray for Staff and take any other action God convicts you to take. This is a CALL FOR REPENTANCE.

Staff, I know there's a "Do not disturb" sign posted outside the door but it's about time someone did the house-keeping! <Break down the ancient door> I have been waiting for you guys to do it but all you've been doing about it is whitewashing.  Don't think this is the place to address it? Well we did nothing during the school year- you refused to address it- and your censorship activities kept me off the InterVarsity wall. So I guess I'll do us this service as much as I hate it -I'd rather if we had obeyed God and applied the solutions He gave us during the year. We know you are here to serve us but thing is, we are the body of Christ (The Head, The Lord and The Chief Shepherd) and we are all here to serve each other. I thank you for how you have served us but what I'm against is the additional services of lordship and whitewashing. You always tell us that you guys are control freaks and you take it lightly yet that is your main problem because in Bible terms that is "lording it over those entrusted to you" which is advised against in 1 Peter 1:3. I now know (after meeting up with you guys) that you're just trying to do your job (as has been described to you by InterVarsity and what you have learnt from your mentors and all the pastors you know- like Paul told me) but it's time to uphold the Word of God. And I've already told you guys all this before and you ignored me....sigh... Sleeping beauty, I tried multiplying kisses all year but that didn't wake you up so being a loving friend, I am forced to go all Rafiki on you and use my staff! Never felt a love like this before? Allow me to demonstrate it.

"If you have any issue with someone take it up with them in person."- Kevin.


The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey —the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” (Who Cares? GOD CARES! :) Exodus 3: 7-10)

"Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helplesslike sheep without a shepherd." ( Who cares? JESUS CARES! :) Matthew 9: 35-36)

Staff, how many times this year and before that have I and other people in the fellowship met up with you to tell you the problems we have with how you guys are running things? That was basically the story of my Fall and part of Winter quarter life. In Fall quarter (when we actually had prayer meetings before the Winter drought), God was speaking through different people in the fellowship about the reality of unresolved conflict and the urgency to resolve them. At Paul's prayer meeting when we were doing listening prayer God gave Chris Taylor: Leviticus 3 it's about The Fellowship Offering/ Peace Offering. Chris Taylor and Wisdom's prayer meeting was on conflict resolution. Shayne and Lissah's prayer meeting was on racial reconciliation and they got the sense that something big was going to pop off coz of all the unresolved conflict.

Then one time I got a sense of urgency that instead of having an area meeting that week we should have an all leaders meeting and invite all the leaders as well as non-leaders involved with any drama and just deal with it once and for all. I told Staff but Melissa said no to the all leaders meeting and that she would just tell the area leaders to tell people to deal with their conflict. I replied, "You guys have the final say, I know. I still think it's more efficient to all meet up so people feel the urgency to deal with it. If some people don't act on their convictions, which is more likely to happen if we're not all together, it still affects all of us. We are doing what you guys decide which is fine. But if God sees that we're not doing it, He'll keep bringing it up. When I was planning for worship yesterday Matthew 5: 23-24 came up, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift."(11/3/11)

So yeah the meeting never happened. Over the break, I saw Edith status and Haley had commented about how songs from Fiddler on the roof kept coming up for them (Edith's sis and Haley). I'd seen it before but I checked it out again, and because I see things differently, I heard God's voice through it and it's actually about our fellowship (and this nation). "It is based on Tevye and his Daughters (or Tevye the Milkman and Other Tales) by Sholem Aleichem. The story centers on Tevye, the father of five daughters, and his attempts to maintain his family and Jewish religious traditions while outside influences encroach upon their lives. He must cope both with the strong-willed actions of his three older daughters—each one's choice of husband moves further away from the customs of his faith—and with the edict of the Tsar that evicts the Jews from their village." (Wikipedia) So this is how that relates to our fellowship (keep in mind the purpose of the "colors of the wind")... So Staff  is acting like Tevye and the fellowship is like their daughters. Some people from the fellowship are trying to use their cultural and spiritual gifts to shine light to overlooked truth and to correct lies (to change the system for the better) but Staff is working hard to maintain the InterVarsity tradition and the Christian life as they've known it. In this case maintaining that tradition is a really bad thing because it is oppressing the people from different "colors of the wind" and it's bad for the staff as well as the rest of the fellowship who don't know what their missing out on or what lies they are falling for. Dear Staff and Americanized church, God is doing a NEW thing! right now so by sticking to your old way of doing things (following your traditions and beloved rabbis) and refusing to paint with all the colors of The Wind then you are not following Him forwards you are now sleeping walking in random circles! 



During Fall, God gave me 2 words about what Staff was doing: Impression management which I had learnt about in my Sociology class it means: A process by which people in social situations manage the setting and their dress, words, and gestures to correspond to the impressions they are trying to make or the image they are trying to project. I called Marissa coz God had really pressed it upon my heart that they were more worried about the impression they were making on new people that's why they didn't wanna address drama and that we were too focussed on ourselves (trying not to be offended) but it's not about us because God wants worship that's pleasing to Him.  And by not addressing the drama our worship is like filthy rags to Him (I later traced that to Isaiah 64:6 and it makes sense in light of the Matthew 5:23-24 above). I was really fired up when I called her so instead of responding to the message I passed on this was her response:"Are you at peace right now?"sigh... -_- 


~ Commercial OutBreak: Tone, Love and Emotions ~

Dear world, I am not sorry that I am different, that I am African. I am not sorry that I do not fit into the box you put me in and the labels you handed to me. I am not sorry that I have a different way of communicating that varies depending on the times and seasons and a different way of thinking.  This is how God created me so you just gotta accept me as I am. Because He accepts me and He created me this way for a reason.

Dear world-conformed church, This is an Awakening season and it's definitely not the time to sing the remixed "silent apathetic night" or candy-coated lullabies and "Tidings of comfortable and coy! Comfortable and Coy!" And if you are so concerned and offended by tone then I wonder how you make it through reading the Bible! :o coz it was definitely not written in a mellow monotone! Marissa and Staff the post: FALSE Apostles was about you guys and the song I've posted there is a special dedication to you and to all who blindly follow you. It's time to follow the Real Jesus as He fully presents Himself in the Word not the Americanized [Jesus-inthebox] version.

Back to your question Marissa, "Are you at peace right now?" Is that all you're worried about after I deliver God's Words to you? Here are some questions that I think deserve more consideration. We should all ask ourselves: Am I comfortable enough? Quenched the fire of the Holy Spirit much? Numbed my heart with apathy and selfish fear, white washing and impression management? 
God revived me at Prefall and He gave me His peace that surpasses all understanding that's why I can be as ♫ tranquil as a forest but on fire within ♫ (Mulan) "But if I say, "I will not mention Him or speak any more in His name," His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot." (Jeremiah 20:9) But that fire can be easily quenched by getting caught up with the world's perspective and fighting like the world does -story of my Winter quarter... twas a really cold Winter! freezing! and Spring wasn't that much warmer :(


World-conformed church, it's time for us to be transformed by the WORD of God. Please do not equate all release of strong emotions such as anger and sorrow with the absence of love. If you do so you are accusing God (defined as Love) and Jesus (the manifestation of God's Love for us) to be not loving. You see, the thing is "there is a time for everything under the sun and a season for every activity under heaven" (Read Ecclesiastes 3). God's Love is different from the world's definition of love. His Love is like an umbrella under which certain aspects co-exist. His Love is unending and unconditional; it also hates every form of evil and does not tolerate it- it separates itself from it (Psalm 1). It goes LOCO at all systems of oppresion (Check out Jesus, "the table-turner" in Matthew 21:12) It burns with jealousy out of desire for closeness with His bride (oh His sleeping bride! All His wayward sheep! Let's wake up and return to Him with all our hearts :) Yeah, His LOVE is AWAKE and ALIVE! So if your love is asleep and lifeless then it's due for revival :)

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" If that doesn't work, turn to friends for help and complain about your issues to them." - Kevin
Uhm, that's what everyone's been doing like forever. I have tried focussing on the solutions (praying, fasting, worship, being friends, and sharing interpretations God gave me for the visions/dreams he gave us) and I have invited you guys to join me (refer to the InterVarsity wall and your text messages) and few people listened and joined me and I got discouraged myself as well :(

"Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go, tell Pharoah king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his country." (Exodus 6: 9-10)

"Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, 

that will he also reap." (Galatians 6:7)

So if you haven't noticed, I'm no longer in the people-pleasing business coz I realized that I can't love people in truth if my main concern is trying to please them coz sometimes Love hurts, . So yeah, I want to please God and love even when it hurts (even when it hurts me or even when it hurts my friends) coz though it may hurt for a while, it always produces good fruit, fruit that will last. Love needs foresight.

Kevin pointed out I have been vague in my posts. Why? Well it's vague to those who don't get it but it's not vague to those who it's mainly about, Staff. I was hoping that they would get the not-so-subtle hints and do something about it before I'd be forced to call them out on it. You see, that's one of the purposes of my voice and why God gave it back to me. He's been telling me to call out the system so I've been trying to get Staff to get out of it before the bashing begun. I went to their many meetings, talked on the phone, sent them emails but they stood their ground within the system. I have been waiting for them to change their ways but they took my silence as endorsement to their activities ("I thought we were on the same team here"-Marissa's call after I liked Jovanny's post on the InterVarsity wall) or that I no longer cared about what was going on or about the people who were being oppressed (After ignoring me all through the quarter Paul sends me a personalized friendly text inviting me to his house for a dinner he was having for seniors minus Josh, the day before the last Common ground which Josh was excluded from and the weekend of the senior banquet that Josh wasn't welcome to as well. I didn't have any words for Paul). So I'm not going to procrastinate any longer, I have other things to share but I have to get through this ugly point first. I'm going to go LOCO on the system like God told me to and Staff since you're still part of it do not be surprised if you get hurt. A lot of decisions you have made are as a result of being moved by fear and have resulted in exclusion and cover ups. If you sow in fear then you reap your fears (fear of being exposed after all your hard work of whitewashing).

Here are some "Rules for being human" (by Cherie Carter-Scott): 
#4. A lesson is repeated until learned. It is presented to you in various forms until you learn it -- then you can go on to the next lesson. 
#5. If you don't learn easy lessons, they get harder. External problems are a precise reflection of your internal state. When you clear inner obstructions, your outside world changes. Pain is how the universe [God] gets your attention. 
#6. You will know you've learned a lesson when your actions change. Wisdom is practice.

"You are making the leaders to be rebellious. Don't you want them to honor the commitments they made as leaders?"- Marissa 's call after I like Jovanny's post about attending Nefarious.

I want us to honor the commitment we made to JESUS! to follow Him wherever He leads! (I'm not just talking about some event but in general and in all situations especially now coz the darkness got darker) And if that is being rebellious I say ♫ RIOT! EVERYBODY RIOT!  Another reason why people don't listen to me is because they follow Staff but Staff is currently going on a different direction from the one God is leading us on (based on His Word and the prophecies He gave us) and away from the messages He gives me to share with you guys. That's why they need to be called out for what they are, False Apostles, coz "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other." (Matt. 6:24a) Staff does not want to apply what God has been saying and so they are keeping the rest of the flock from applying it as well. Most of the messages that God's been giving me to share with you guys require learning through experience and whole group application. But so far all I've been doing is "tell and tell" instead of "show and tell"which is going no where since nothing is being applied. (And this also applies to the rest of us in the fellowship, not just me). I have been trying to focus on the solution which is "show and tell" (1 Samuel 7) but Staff  doesn't trust what needs to be shown (due to the many cultural stronghold I'll expose) so they reject it and you guys follow their lead.  It's time to WAKE UP sheep! and think for yourselves! Remember Lissah's prophecy? "Something big is going to pop off." Yeah it's about time for that since Staff hasn't been listening to God from Fall when He repeatedly told us to urgently and corporately resolve our conflict. It's time to use your staff and raise your voice against every unjust system and to confront any Pharoahs involved for the sake of love. Staff is really slowing us down without knowing. If they still don't want to get out of the system and follow Jesus in the New thing! that He's doing you have no obligation to follow them. Get out of the system then call it out. It's much needed after layer upon layer of whitewash. It's time we mind our Father's business (anti-slavery) so let's♫ START A RIOT! START A RIOT!♫ =) If you're not ready or up for it that's okay, you can just stand aside and pray. But I'm not staying silent anymore, I'll fight for all you guys (staff and the whole fellowship) even if you don't get what I'm doing (what God told me). I'll start a riot! against the system for freedom :)

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." (Galatians 5:1)



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"Oh your tone!... and what's your agenda?" -Marissa.

Like I said, I didn't come to tickle your ears with bedtime stories! Our "fellowship" is like a pathetic circus right now- aerial view- and we are fast asleep. So why should we carry on with the routine with people complaining, arguing and gossiping, staff hanging on to a system of oppression while we distract ourselves with making merry (and we call that love and friendship) and ignoring God's words for us. How low can we go? Let's not wait to find out. This tradition might have gotten us this far but do not deceive yourself, you think you're going places? Not so fast! Not without LOVE! (loving all the colors of the wind). It's time we WAKE UP, GET REAL and GROW UP!  Let's stop being concerned about how God delivers His Words and through whom before we can accept it and apply it. He can pass a message through a donkey and even through rocks for crying out loud! :oWe are so concerned about our feelings getting hurt by Truth and so we reject the Truth. We are so concerned about not being offended and we forget to ask God what offends Him (lesson I learnt for myself in Search Me. Test Me. Lead Me). So yeah, if the Truth in my messages offended you I am actually glad. I hope it cut you up and broke your heart into little pieces for your own sins and the corporate sins of the fellowship. I hope the duct tape you are using to hold your heart together burns in the refiner's fire. I hope you break down in godly sorrow! I hope you mourn! I hope you BLOW UP in righteous anger and let Zeal for the House of the Lord consume you. I hope you have an OutBreak of Jealousy for the purity of the Bride of Christ. I hope you faint with longing for the Living Water that satisfies. I hope you tremble in holy fear for the sake of His Name and His Word. Just go ahead and explode! Show some signs of life! It's time we get the right kind of sacrifices flowing. It's about time we change our ways (repent)! (Read 2 Corinthians 7)

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." (Psalm 51:17)

"But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams." (1 Samuel 15:22)

“Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love..." (Joel 2:12-13)




We have to wake up to the times! The devil has kept us distracted with our drama and things are about to drastically change so let's wake up now! We forgot about LOVE and that's what it's all about! So let's Wake Up now and get things right! Let's not wait for God to shake us up coz He will! pretty soon!... If you still don't see any reason to mourn then be my guest and I shall be your servant. Next Stop: Let My People Go. Staff, ♫ even now I wish that God had chose another serving as your foe on His behalf. It's the last thing that I wanted  (Prince of Egypt) But in the Kingdom of heaven there is no ageism, racism, sexism, etc. we are all equal under Christ. God is not a respector of persons. We all have to humble ourselves before Him and go through the refiner's fire. It's for our own good. Pruning comes before promotion :)"The work of God to prepare deliverers is to disqualify you so He can qualify you."- Benjamin Nolot. God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called :) So yeah, Staff, it's summer but I still care, God still cares and there is no time to waste. You didn't get back to me all through the year but I'm still waiting to hear you guys address these issues with the fellowship or atleast with the oppressed. We just have to confess, repent and move forward. 

CONFIRMATION!!!
Let's repent friends and let's be reconciled. God's grace is sufficient! Fellow sheep if you're still clueless don't worry, just pray and I have more to share so wait for it! (Don't fight me right now coz really don't know what you're doing or what I'm doing so wait and I'll let you know. Be patient! Good things come to those who wait :)  Let's pray for each other. God is making us new! 
Love, Charlene :)
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Rise & Shine Sleeping Beauty! WORD ON!
Church, it's time for us to remember who we are. It's time to step out of the darkness and to shine! Arise! Shine! =)

"Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,  holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain." (Philippians 2: 14-16)

"Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,  now that you have tasted that the Lord is good...But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." (Read all of 1 Peter 2)

"Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God." (2 Corinthians 7:1)

  Shepherd of my soul. I give You full control. Wherever You may lead I will follow. I have made a choice to listen to Your voice. Wherever You may lead I will go. ♫ =)



Related Post: It's ALL about Jesus!
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Update: I know this is one of most controversial posts I've written lol. I really didn't want to do this but I had to. There was a need and God told me to. There's a time to break down and a time to build up. It had a mixture of tones which I think are reflected in the different videos I posted. Didn't get the message? Let's talk. Don't worry I won't bite haha. Why I was forced to write stuff (messages to the fellowship) is because communication wasn't really happening or it was all wrong when we were together so yeah, let's communicate. Let's be friends :) This post tries to address the same issues in a calmer way so you can check it out if you're into reading stuff or we can just talk if you're interested:  Hope.
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WATCH THIS CONFIRMATION GOD LED ME TO FOR THE MESSAGE OF THIS POST.

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