We're Mended Vessels

I just finished watching an old message by Lonnie Frisbee on YouTube. I ended up watching it because I was youtube surfing through some Vineyard UK Live videos and songs. At first, when I saw how long the video was and what Lonnie was speaking about, I wasn't going to continue to watch and listen, but I felt the Lord wanted me to, so I did.

If you aren't familiar with Lonnie Frisbee, he was apart of the Jesus movement in the 70's where the Holy Spirit broke out and changed millions of lives. A huge part of where we are today is because of the Jesus movement as well as the move of God in Toronto and other places as well. Lonnie was a hippie who would trip out in the desert on LSD and I'm sure other drugs and then Jesus encountered him. He became a John the baptist figure and droves of people would come to the ocean where Lonnie was and he would baptize them. Lonnie's ministry continued in the power of the Holy Spirit and he ministered in the Calvary Chapel and Vineyard churches where he was accepted. Not everyone accepted him because he was weird and he did weird things, but he followed the Holy Spirit and his leadings. He would preach at church services and do things like call all the 20 year olds to the front and then simply say "Holy Spirit come," and every one of the 20 years old would fall over in the Power of the Holy Spirit. This is how Lonnie's ministry continued for a long time.

Unfortunately, he fell. Slowly but surely he slipped into sin and kept it hidden. He would party at gay bars on saturday nights and then speak on sunday mornings were the Holy Spirit would move in power. Eventually Lonnie's sin came to light and he was rejected by a lot of people. If i remember correctly, I believe some of the head pastors and spiritual fathers stayed with him to help him be restored, but people still didn't receive him and the Power that was delivered through him by God the way they used to. The haunting question came to light, "was it God moving through Lonnie from the beginning, or was it all farce?"

It's a dangerous question to ask and the reason I bring it up and the reason why I'm writing now is because the we as the church have a really bad habit of glorifying men above God. The Holy Spirit moves powerfully through vessels like Lonnie, that wholly surrender themselves to God to be used in any way He likes and we focus on the vessel rather than what that vessel contains. Also, we don't notice the mended cracks and wounds of the life of brokenness that God has repaired and healed so that He can work through them. So, when an old crack springs a leak and the wounds and imperfectness is revealed, a lot of times we are tempted to say "that wasn't God" when we were enamored with the Power we were experiencing.

I haven't though about it until just this moment, but maybe the reason why we are so quick to deny the move of God through a broken vessel is we think that if their hidden sin was exposed, that maybe our hidden sin will be exposed as well. And if we reject sinners won't we ourselves be rejected as sinners?

Unfortunately Lonnie's sin led to AIDS and then death.

One of the most important things I think we should pray for is for us to have the strength and courage to humble ourselves and confess our sins to one another, and if not that, then pray for God to humble us and reveal our sin and to bring it out of the dark. One thing I know for sure, in a move of God, things that are hidden always come to light, true intentions are made known. Simply put, truth is made known; truth that cannot be corrupted, truth that God is love and love for all. The truth that God loves us too much to let us perish in our own filth of our sin. Thankfully, we have a savior who died for all sin and, to deaths detriment, paid the price for our sin because we couldn't, can't, and will never be able to. So, God is to be praised, not men, for the works of the Spirit. Who is to be blamed for man's stumbling? The people around them. Confront the sin in your brother, if he hasn't confronted the sin himself already. Remember that the Kindness of God leads to repentance and the Spirit convicts us of our sin. So, if your brother is sinning, listen to Jesus and make sure you remove the plank in your own eye before you attempt to remove the spec from your brother's eye.

We must remember that we were all once broken, shattered vessels, clay jars, hand made by the Creator and Maker of all things. And if we hold Living Water inside of us its because He mended us and made us whole. Most of all, we must remember Him, that made us whole by breaking Himself to pieces and spilling His blood out all over us.

Thank you Jesus for paying for what I could not pay for and satisfying death's thirst for my blood with your blood. Help me to humble myself before You and men so that I can be used by You in this earth. And if I fail to humble myself, humble me by whatever means necessary so that your Glory may be made known and your name be on the lips of everyone I encounter. I pray I wouldn't fall victim to the glory of man or its false pretenses. I pray I wouldn't be flattered by the empty words of men. Let me be filled with your love and the reality of your truth, and if men speak your words let me receive them as if I heard them directly from you. I pray that I would never think of myself above any other, as I am just as susceptible to sin and its temptations as any man be. I am yours for the taking and yours for the making. God, I am yours for the breaking if I must be broken. Heal me of my doubt and unbelief and flood me with your love and faith. Thank you for the cross and the great Glory it has revealed to man. Let Christ sit enthroned upon my heart so that he may reign wherever I am. Thank you for your blood, and thank you for your mercy and grace that sustains me through the day. You are the Light of the world, and let that Light shine through me.


Lonnie Frisbee YouTube message:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp4jfl02gAc
Link where you can find a documentary about Lonnie called "Frisbee" and to learn more about him:
http://www.lonniefrisbee.com/
A song that is anointed and began the YouTube surfing and eventually resulted in this blog post:
Adore Him by Samuel Lane
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDdtXqZ2C6I