Summer 1990

Going Forth unto Him
Wade E Taylor

"Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come" Heb 13:12-14.

For most of us, time goes by all to quickly. I can still remember the last time when, as a child, I said "I am going out to play." As Christians, we are sometimes tempted to feel this way, but our times of "playing" are forever past. A very serious time is upon us.

Pinecrest has passed its twenty first year of operation. Therefore, the behavior and expression of spiritual maturity should be found in the ministry of Pinecrest by those who read the Banner, or come as a visitor or student. This places a solemn responsibility upon us. The urgency of the hour in which we live requires much of us.

The world is struggling with conflicting ideologies that war against each other. Some of this has spilled over into the religious realm. Materialistic ideology has failed to bring about the utopia its prophets had predicted. Because of this, multitudes are turning to some form of the supernatural. The problem is, many are looking for results apart from God, His Church, and His Word. Thus superficial religion, along with the occult is spreading.

The Church has a tendency to get involved in religious "fads." Some sincere Christians have, in a flush of zealousness, "launched out into the deep" with one of these fads, without any consideration of its Scriptural foundation, or of how it might affect others. Some have been so hurt or confused by this that they become bitter or cynical, and fall away from the Lord.

It is possible to stay free from this pattern of excess by remaining spiritually very conservative. This means staying with that which has been tried and proven. Though this is right, it is not the complete answer. We must trust the Lord to lead us on to new, unfolding areas of Scriptural-spiritual understanding.

In the past, while searching for its identity, Pinecrest tried some of these "fads." We soon realized that none of these were producing unity in the Church or quality Christian character. The Lord has been faithful in setting us free from such and in guiding us into an understanding of our true identity and calling. Concerning spiritual issues, we are no longer "going out to play." There is within the very fiber of Pinecrest an expanding sense of responsibility and purpose.

Pinecrest is called by the Lord to be a spiritual "City of Refuge" where many can come to receive spiritual insight and strength to better face and go through the storms of life, or to prepare themselves for a higher calling and purpose. The Banner serves as a beacon, lighting the way to Pinecrest for those who are spiritually hungry, and who desire more in God than what is made availible where they now are.

We constantly look to the Lord, that the vision and ministry of Pinecrest will continue to abide upon a clear doctrinal foundation that is true to the Word of God. We desire to build upon this foundation a ministry that is progressive and cautious, yet free from an ultra-conservatism that would rob us of a "going on with the Lord." We must be spiritually open to what the Lord desires to reveal to and accomplish through His people in our day.

John the Baptist was a voice prepared by the Lord for a crucial time of transition. As he beheld Jesus coming upon the scene of His day, he spoke something that had never been said before: "Behold The Lamb of God" Today, the Lord is calling those who are truly seeking to know Him into such a prophetic dimension. However, great responsibility comes with a ministry such as this. Remember, John lost his head.

When Pinecrest began in the Fall of 1968 as a Bible Training Center, a "word" was given that Pinecrest was to be a "Place of Refuge." I wondered how this could be. Pinecrest is located on 150 acres of pine trees and sand, where it becomes bitter cold in the winter. Then the Lord caused me to know that He was speaking of a "spiritual" refuge, rather than a place for physical survival.

Being "a place" of spiritual refuge puts great responsibility upon us. This requires an "open heaven" in which abides the manifest presence of the Lord. The Lord can only give this among those whose life style includes personal holiness and integrity of character. This atmosphere of His abiding, manifest presence and anointing can be maintained only through an active personal and corporate devotional life, along with a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit and a respect for His chastening hand upon our lives.

At Pinecrest, "The Word of God" has the place of primary importance. Yet, we are called to emphasize not only the doctrine and letter of the Word, but also our entering into subjective experiential truth. That is, truth that has become personalized within our life experience so that our personal testimony reveals the "substance" that the written Word has produced within us.

All such subjective truth must "measure up" to the written Word of God. It is our prayerful desire that the Banner and Pinecrest Bible Training Center possess a spiritual purity and quality which will allow them to be used as a "plumb line" that can be trusted as a "measure" against which personal revelations and experiences can be tested.

If a hundred dollar bill is questioned as possibly being counterfeit, it is compared with one that is known to be genuine. The counterfeit may appear so good, by itself, that its imperfection cannot be detected. However, when compared with the real item, it becomes evident that it is a counterfeit. To do this, one only need hold it up in the light along side of a real 100 dollar bill. Pinecrest is called for this purpose. In the reflection of the reality of His abiding manifest presence, our revelations and experiences will be revealed for what they are.

"I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me ...That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures" Prov 8:17,21.

That which we have known through the letter of the Word is to become spiritual substance within us in a practical way. This will increase our love for the Lord and point us toward further revelation and understanding. Not only will this enrich our own personal experience and walk with the Lord, but it will result in our having a greater spiritual authority and power that will enable the Lord to be made known in reality to this lost and dying world.

Many come to Pinecrest with desperate needs within their lives. This places upon us a great responsibility to see that these needs are met. God forbid that we should preach "at" people, attempting to show how spiritual we are. It is our prayer that we will maintain a genuine burden to see the power of God in operation, imparting to those whom the Lord sends a genuine desire to personally worship, know, and serve our Lord.

The world has a saying, "It is better to keep quiet and let people think that you are a fool than to open your mouth and prove it." We can be so cautious and conservative that we fail to move on with the Lord and find ourselves left behind, abiding in the place of proven safety. It is better to trust His grace; respond to the drawing power of His Holy Spirit and move with Him beyond our present understandings.

The Lord is looking for a people that will go with Him into new territory. He is establishing places of refuge where those who have a true spiritual hunger may come to personally meet Him.

"Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach" Heb 13:13.