The Genuine Flow

by Mel C. Montgomery

“Self help” is no substitute for the convicting, cleansing, and transforming power of the Holy Spirit. It is precisely because man cannot help himself that the Son of God came, suffered, died, and rose again.

Don’t ever take it upon yourself to copy the process involved in someone else’s miracle. Get alone with God. Study His Word for yourself. Develop your own prayer life. Learn to be led of the Lord yourself. It is perfectly fine to ask a seasoned minister to pray with you, but outside of praying in faith for the need to be met, don’t do something extraordinary unless the Lord specifically leads you.

"You will learn the most from people who differ with you. For, the people with whom you agree, you just go on agreeing. But the people who differ with you will force you to the Book, if you are an honest person truly seeking truth. There in the Bible you will find one of two things. You will find out that they are right, and you are wrong, in which case you will change your thinking and be better off for it. Or, you will find out you are right, in which case you will be strengthened in your belief.”

What they preached dovetails with a statement Oral Roberts made back in 2004. After receiving what he believed was a vision from the Lord, he came out of retirement and near seclusion and announced: “Believers today are more sick and more broke than I have ever before seen in my life!” The solution to these great needs, according to Roberts’ statement was, “We’ve got to get back to preaching the Cross! . . . and from the belly!”

Amen!

Powerful anointings require holiness, selflessness, study, prayer, humility, sacrifice, patience, and are entirely dependent on how the Lord chooses to use you.

When we are born again we become spiritual beings, and from that time on we are to increase our knowledge of the Lord and grow in Christian maturity.

Paul admonished Timothy, "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (II Tim. 2:15).

Paul has assured us that to be spiritual we have to crucify the old man. Our spirituality increases as we learn God's Word, and as we obey what we learn from His Word.

Then we read in John 17:17 where Jesus said as He prayed to the Father, "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” You and I get our guiding light from the Word of God. "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Psa. 119:105).

They saw the fulfillment of Christ's promise, " . . . Greater works than these shall ye do; because I go unto my Father.” They were not greater in quality, but greater in quantity.

We know that faith without works is dead. If we do not have works with our faith, we can make statements of faith all day long and that is all we'll have— statements but no actions. But when we act on the Word in faith believing, we will find things happening in our lives.

The fact that there is a counterfeit does not nullify the genuine.

I have wondered many times just how many of us would be willing to go through all the things Paul did in order to reach our destination for ministering the gospel. Quite possibly we would be tempted to say, “Surely, the Lord is not in this or else I wouldn’t be having so much trouble!” Too many things are going wrong — this couldn’t be the will of God. Yet perhaps we had received a real charge through the Spirit and even a revelation from God to do this, to go and minister His Word.

The fact that we meet opposition and hindrances does not justify our turning back and not going on for God. We must go on! We must give out the word of God regardless of obstacles along the way. Our Lord Jesus Christ told us to expect this. He said, “. . . In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). The apostle Paul said, “. . . We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). We cannot turn back because of tribulation. Paul knew he was going to Rome. He had had a word of wisdom from the Lord about this. God had told Paul he “must bear witness also at Rome.” He believed what God had said regardless of circumstances, regardless of obstacles in his way.

Some people think they can increase their faith through the operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit or through praying in tongues. However, there is no scriptural basis for this. The Bible teaches that we build up ourselves on our most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit. "But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost" (Jude 20).

Jesus said, "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you" (John 15:7). He didn't say, "If you abide in me and my Spirit abides in you . . .” He said, ". . . if my words abide in you . . . " The Word of God is powerful, it is glorious and wonderful. Mighty works are done through it. "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Heb. 4:12).

One day Elijah found that the brook had dried up. However, his supernatural faith had not dried up. He did not complain about it. He didn't say, "What'll I do? Surely, I'll die of thirst.” He didn't question the Lord as to why He had allowed the brook to dry up. He had supernatural faith that the sustenance of life would be his.

We cannot bring others to Christ by exalting ourselves, or by acting spiritually superior. But we can surely bring them to Christ by humbling ourselves, by preaching the true gospel in the power of His Spirit, by living a Christ-honoring life. Our attitudes, our spirit, our words and actions should exemplify Christ at all times.

In these times when the Holy Spirit is being outpoured in abundance, when multitudes are being filled with the Spirit, the first thing that many people want to do is to start prophesying. But that is not the point. What we want to do is to live for God, produce the fruits of the Christian life, and then let the Holy Spirit use us as He wills. And if He uses us to give a prophetic utterance in edification, exhortation and comfort, then that is the way in which we will serve.

I remember some young men who came to our church. They had been filled with the Spirit and they all wanted to be prophets. They were trying to prophesy, but their prophecy was not good. I talked with them and showed them what the Lord wanted first. I said, “He doesn’t give these gifts to novices. These things come to those who are more seasoned in the faith and have had experiences in Jesus Christ.” When I finished talking to them, one young man said, “I see what I need. I must go back and study the Word of God and produce fruit first. Then if the Lord sees fit to use me, I’ll be thankful.”

The gift of prophecy, used properly and in line with the instructions set forth by the apostle Paul in I Corinthians, is a great blessing in the church today. It is a divine utterance in a known tongue, giving forth God’s message to His people.

We are to look to the Lord and say, “Lord Jesus, we want these spiritual workings that you prepared for your church. We want to be subjects that you can use as you see fit.”

If we are really Christians, we must produce fruit wherever we are—on the job, in the home, in our business. The Christian is not underhanded in his business dealings. He does not lie or falsify his word in any way. Some have said that an automobile dealer couldn’t sell his cars if he didn’t lie about them. But any Christian on the topside of the earth can sell automobiles without telling a lie. God will bless the man who is honest in business. And this will bring honor to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

“And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth” (verse 25). Here we see the core of the purpose of these spiritual gifts—the unveiling of the hearts of lost men and women that they might fall down before God, humbling themselves before Him and acknowledging Him as Saviour and Lord. The term, “falling down on his face,” seems to indicate a dramatic response to the call of the Spirit. In too many churches today when a lost person responds to an altar call he is just handed a card to sign and extended a hand shake, with no heart-felt tears of repentance being shed, no sobs of joy at being born into God’s heavenly kingdom.

Churches make a big mistake by merely adding people to their membership rolls. There are plenty of churches today that would accept Nicodemus without telling him, “You must be born again.” At many churches Nicodemus might say, “I know God is with you; you could not do these things if it were not from God,” and he would be handed a card to sign. Too many of us fail God by not asking, “Have you had a real experience with Jesus Christ?”

Verses 29-30 say, “Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace.” Two or three may prophesy, Paul says, and the others are to judge. Who is going to judge a prophet? Just anybody? No, one would have to be a prophet to understand prophets. It is the other prophets who would judge the prophet who is speaking to see if his prophecy coincides with the Word of God. We have no other standard by which to judge a prophecy except the Word of God.

In a further word to the prophets Paul said. “For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.” (verse 31). Here Paul states again the purpose of prophecy in the church, which he mentioned earlier in this chapter—that prophecy is for “edification, and exhortation, and comfort” (verse 3). Then he tells them, “And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets” (verse 32). I have heard people say, when they are called down for being out of order in a service, that they just couldn’t help it, that the Spirit made them do it. However, that is contrary to the scripture, for Paul said that we are in control, that the “spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.”

In a “time of visitation,” God is coming on the scene in some manner. Responding to this visitation with faith, humility, and obedience, will bring the blessing of God. Sarah, a woman of faith, was visited by the Lord, and the visitation turned into a blessing: And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken. For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. Genesis 21:1-2.

God gives cities, groups, ministries, and even nations, times of visitation. These are crucial times, in which people have the opportunity to receive what God wants to do, or they can ignore and reject it. The choice is theirs to make.

We need to understand that God is intensely interested in all aspects of our lives. As we pray and seek His face, asking His help, He will show up. He will give a time of visitation. It may be nothing more than the operation of a spiritual gift, or an impression in our spirits in prayer. We have to be spiritually alert to these times of visitation, so that we can respond to them in faith. If we are not alert, a crucial spiritual opportunity may manifest, and pass us by. Then we may later weep bitter tears when a prayer seemingly is not answered. In fact, the prayer was answered, but like the citizens of Jerusalem, we missed our opportunity.

Many Christians miss their time of visitation, because they want to be like a sports car in one of those TV commercials, so to speak. They want to go from zero to sixty miles per hour in 4.3 seconds. They want a giant leap overnight, rather than baby steps in which you go from zero to sixty miles per hour, figuratively, perhaps over the course of two years. As far as I can tell, God prefers to give us spiritual increase very gradually. Isaiah wrote, Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: Isaiah 28:9,10.

Christ reflected a thought similar to that of Isaiah’s “line upon line” approach when he said: And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come. Mark 4:26-29.

When you look at the Goodwins (after they had ministered in spiritual gifts for 30 years), you are in awe of the intensity of their anointing. But really, all the Goodwins did was to respond consistently in faith and obedience to those small times of visitation, and God gradually increased their anointing. That same process of slow, but permanent, increase is by far the best way, and it is open to you.

The Goodwins taught, and I have come to believe also, that for spiritual gifts to manifest in intensity in a local church, they have to operate through the pastor, or in close association with him. You can’t teach what you don’t walk in yourself.

I’ve seen many situations in which someone would hold a prayer meeting at their home, unaffiliated with any church, and spiritual gifts would begin to manifest. In my earlier days, I even attended some of these kinds of meetings. However, I have never seen any of these isolated groups stay sound and bear lasting fruit. Every one of them either petered out, or got “weird.” Why? Because God loves His people, and the Holy Spirit desires to move, but the Lord also established the local church. It is God’s will for all Christians to be planted in a local church, and mature under a pastor. Sheep without a shepherd will be scattered.

These decisions cannot be made by individuals in the congregation, and pushed upon the pastor. The pastor must decide that he wants these spiritual operations in his church, and he must personally set about pursuing them.

Equally, once the pastor has decided that he wants spiritual gifts to develop in the midst of his people, the congregation must patiently support him on the journey. The pastor must feel his way along, and discover the reality of spiritual gifts from experiences God gives him. Spiritual gifts develop over time.

God provides the gift, but you decide what you are going to mix in with that gift. You can add a prideful attitude in with your spiritual gift, and it will still work.

We’ve seen a lot of that, haven’t we? You can mix in sin, false doctrine, greed for money, and other attributes that are entirely against God’s will, and the gift will still manifest for a long time while God patiently waits for you to repent and begin walking uprightly. This is exactly how a false prophet and other kinds of false ministers are able to arise and prosper in our midst for long periods of time. Their gift continues to operate while God deals with the flaws of the individual.

Although a person can develop in spiritual gifts, and be used in them independently of the local church, the best way, by far, is to grow in these gifts within a church setting that is open to them. It is a fact that, particularly in small towns and isolated areas, there may not be a local church a person can attend that is healthy, and that understands the power of God.

If no such spiritual resource is available to the individual, I counsel them to keep reading God’s Word, and developing in prayer and in spiritual operations to the extent that they can do so independently, while believing God to raise up, or bring in, a spiritually developed pastor to the area.

As a church remains open to the leading of the Holy Spirit, yields and obeys, and then thanks Him afterward, God will increase them in the genuine flow. Eventually, such churches will flow in some strong manifestations of the Holy Spirit that they can’t even imagine now.

In addition to responding to the times of visitation, a church or ministry can increase in spiritual power by bringing in seasoned guest ministers who operate in strong anointings. However, caution must be exercised, because bringing in the wrong guest minister can bring great damage to the church. A pastor knows best what his people are prepared for, and what is too much for them to absorb. He needs to listen to the sermons of a potential guest minister, visit one of his services if possible, and even call the minister and talk with him. He must weigh in his own heart whether the specifics of what this potential guest minister flows in, will fit in and accentuate what God is already doing in his congregation, or if his people will be led off on a tangent.

Pastors need to focus on bringing in guest ministers who are down to earth and genuinely anointed. They must have a solid Bible message and a modest opinion of themselves. They need to have a reputation for prophesying things that come to pass, and for operating in spiritual gifts in a balanced manner. A pastor needs to search for a guest minister whose qualities he wants to see his congregation emulate, because eventually, a congregation will take on the nature and perspective of the ministers to which they are exposed.

The purpose in bringing in a guest minister is not simply so that people can be ministered to. It is also for the purpose of associating the congregation with different aspects of the anointing of God. This expands their comprehension of spiritual things. A service held by a guest minister can serve as a time of visitation, in which that evangelist’s anointing can begin to “rub off” on church members.

Two cautions must be exercised concerning guest ministers. First, a pastor must avoid bringing in ministers with anointings that are too widely different. When a congregation gets exposed to a prophet, then a healing evangelist, then an apostle, then some other anointing, it is similar to drinking a hot cup of coffee, followed by a cold glass of orange juice, then water, then milk, then a soda. In the natural, this causes indigestion. In the spiritual application, it can bring about confusion. It is best to avoid bringing in too many divergent anointings within a short timeframe. People need time to digest that to which they have been exposed. Second, when guest ministers come in too often, people can become somewhat numb.

The Goodwins were not content to flow in a strong anointing on the platform, and leave their congregants just to watch. Instead, Mom and Dad Goodwin flowed in the Holy Spirit, and steadily drew their entire congregation into that anointing. They expected God to begin to use individual members in spiritual operations. When they perceived that God was beginning to use an individual in spiritual gifts, they reached out to him or her. Mom and Dad encouraged them, and when they felt the time was right, they would extend to that individual the opportunity to flow. Then they followed up by giving that person some gentle corrections and further instruction. Many individuals developed into spiritual operations in this manner under the Goodwins’ oversight.

Rev. Ron Smith, who served as the associate pastor at the Goodwins’ last church, shares this beautiful testimony: Her name was Mrs. King. I can see her standing in the church, near the back, always on the left hand side, facing the podium. She was a quiet, unassuming woman, and other than the unusual gift she possessed, would have been unnoticed in a congregation. However, when she stood up, and "Dad" recognized her, those of us who knew what was coming, immediately got pen and paper ready. This ministry was awesome. The "word" of scripture could set the tone or set the course for that meeting. The working of the gift was incredible. She would minister in a tongue chosen by the Holy Spirit, in what Paul describes as "unknown" to us, but certainly not "unknown" to the Holy Ghost. Then, she would speak forth the particular verses or portions of verses that the Lord wanted manifested for that occasion. I still have my old tattered Schofield Bible, with markings of the ministries that God so indelibly etched into our spirits and minds, but this ministry of Mrs. King, still has me in awe. One particular instance is dated in my Bible as 4/22/73. "Dad" had announced his text as III John 2. "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper, and be in health, even as thy soul prospers." At that precise moment, Mrs. King stood up, was recognized, and spoke out, "Job 22: verses 21, 24, 25, the first 13 words of verse 28 and the last eleven words of Job 23:10," and then...

There was also a specific protocol for a person in the congregation to follow if they believed they had a “word” for an individual. They were to share the word of prophecy or exhortation with Dad Goodwin. He would weigh it, and if he felt the Lord wanted it shared with the individual, he would ask the intended recipient if he or she wanted to receive some personal ministry. If so, the one with the “word” was allowed to give it under Dad’s oversight, to the individual. If the person did not want to receive personal ministry, they were free to decline it. This gave ample opportunity for those used in prophecy to give a word to an individual if the person wanted it, while ensuring that extreme prophecies did not cause individuals to stumble.

You must not rush headlong into these things. Instead, you must seek the Lord, prepare, and establish how you want things done. Then while receiving your times of visitation, you focus on steadily growing in spiritual gifts in a balanced manner within biblical boundaries. This is a package deal. Leaving any of these elements out will eventually lead you into error and the possible destruction of your ministry.