Pinecrest Bible Training Center
1968-2008

John 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone.

Beginning in 2008 the vision and bible school that God so graciously gave Wade Taylor beginning in 1968 came to an abrupt end, falling into the ground and dying.-

We now wait for God to raise up and bring forth His seed of promise in another, that the vision fail not.

Summer 1992

Brokenness - A Key to Renewal
Jay Comiskey

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise" Psalm 51:17.

"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of
God, that he may exalt you in due time" I Peter 5:6.

The wellspring of our heart is motivated either by brokenness, or by pride. Our Lord's attitude toward us is effected by both.

Brokenness is a quality of character that insures against the violation of God's Glory by human arrogance. It is the opposite of the great sin of the universe - pride. Brokenness portrays a humility which has been birthed and developed deep within us through the chastening hand of the Lord.

It is best to view brokenness from God's perspective. He does not provide "Seven steps on how to be broken," but rather, sovereignly arranges the affairs of our life to weave humility and brokenness into the fabric of our being. During these periods of God-ordained crises, the Lord desires to deposit a spirit of brokenness within us.

Jonah's experience is a prime example of how the Lord is able to arrange circumstances to deal with arrogance and bring a spirit of repentance. God, in His mercy, met Jonah in the fury of the storm, and in the belly of the great fish. He now had Jonah's undivided attention. Even today, Jonah signifies God's ability to meet us in the midst of distressing circumstances to resolve a controversy.

The sins of pride, lukewarmness, and apathy quickly captivate an unbroken heart. Unless God boxes us in through difficult circumstances, we may refuse to acknowledge our stubbornness and the futility of our own ways. Unfortunately, apart from God's corrective rod, we seldom experience any real change.

IN Matt 12:40, Jesus compared Jonah’s three days and three nights spent in the belly of the fish to the three days and nights He would spend in the grave following His crucifixion. We are confronted with Calvary and the way of the Cross at ever turn, yet in our cultural obsession with "excellence" and success-oriented formulae, we have developed an aversion to the Cross. For some, the way of the Cross seems to be a step backwards. This obsession with "progress" is due to an ignorance of God's "ways." Until we are broken and our carnal ways exposed to us, our goals are little more than an object for boasting. Divine purpose flows from a humble and contrite spirit that can tremble at God's word.

True, the School of the Holy Spirit is sometimes painful! There was nothing even remotely pleasant about three days and three nights in the belly of a whale. It may seem that our whole world has fallen apart and everything we cherish is in jeopardy. This is the time to stop looking for scapegoats and embrace the Cross.

Brokenness is only found at the foot of the Cross. If we do not despise the hand of God that is upon us, but humble ourselves and acknowledge that His ways are perfect, out of death and brokenness, in due season, will burst forth resurrection life.