Speech Gives Us Away

George Bernard Shaw said that only a small percentage of people contribute to the life force. He obviously included himself as an author. He had his set ideas about life and how to live it. It is clearly seen in the musical My Fair Lady where a conceited English gentleman by the name of Higgins transform a lowly flower girl into a posh lady by correcting the way she speaks. It is beautiful and very entertaining and one of my favourites.
In this account lies some seeds of reform that can bring about change. Mr. Higgins is an astute student of phonetics. He recognizes any English accent and can write it down in his notebook phonetically.
Peter was caught out at the fireside when a little servant girl accosted him with the fact that he was one of the disciples of Jesus. He denied it but eventually his speech gave him away. You sound like one of Jesus' followers. I always wondered how that sounded? How would Mr. Higgins have noted Peter's way of sounding like Jesus? If only someone had jotted it down we could all have copied it and imitated the Lord! But no one did. It remains an enigma!
But something in Peter the fisherman must have changed from walking around with the Master for almost three years. Something in his vocabulary must have been affected, something must have indicated that he sounded like Jesus, otherwise that comment would not have been made.
I sometimes wonder what I sound like. I don't like listening to any recordings of my preaching nor like to watch any DVD or video. I never liked watching me act on film either. It is such a vulnerable state - to watch yourself perform.
The performance demands the unveiling of a soul and that moment is intimate: it is you and the crowd, or if it is a film, you and the camera. Then it is over. To watch it again is embarrassing to say the least and the very core of the performance lies in the self-forgetfulness of the moment. You almost become someone else in order to reveal your heart. You perform.
I have been called to Perform The Word of God as a prophetic actor. Sometimes, while I am preaching I totally forget where I am and get completely honest with my audience about deep laying issues. In order to illustrate a truth I often forget myself and afterwards, when I think of all I've done, I cringe! I wonder if I should rather stop preaching and go back to acting, but then I remember the vow I made in Switzerland and the vow I made when Yvette was born in Sunnybank, Australia.
Many people say they see themselves when I act certain things out. Some say they heard the Lord or saw the Lord in me. That is the ultimate. I don't know how to perform the Lord or sound like Him, so He must have shown up somewhere during the Performing of His Word - maybe only in their imagination or in their mind, I don't know. I cannot control this appearance or revelation. If I could it would not be the Lord, would it? If I could switch it on or off I would be the magician and I could then display the Lord whenever I choose. That would be a form of witchcraft and spiritism.
Peter did not know when they would see the Lord in Him. Unfortunately it was in his worst moment of denying Christ three times before the cock crew, according to Jesus' prophetic warning to him. He went out and wept bitterly that he did not live up to the moment. But that is the difference between him and Judas Iscariot. Instead of weeping and seeking forgiveness Judas went and hung himself. He was too proud to admit a mistake.
Peter made mistakes, he was rebuked in front of the other disciples, he said the wrong things at the wrong times, he cut of Malchus' ear when they came to arrest Jesus in the garden and Jesus had to heal it and put it back on! He deserted Jesus and followed at a distance. He was not near the cross like John. He went back to fishing...back to his old ways...until Jesus showed up again and gave him three chances to repent from the three denials.
Then Jesus gave him a three fold commission: feed my sheep, feed my sheep, feed my lambs!

Peter chose to change. He waitied for power from on high and became the first person to preach under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost and 3 000 people got converted to Christianity from Judaism!

Eventually people not only saw Jesus in Peter they tried to get into Peter's shadow to get healed by Jesus! Amazing tansition! He not only sounded like Jesus, but acted like Him as well. When they were arrested the chief priests took notice of him and John that they had been with Jesus. They were unlearned fishermen, but they had been with Jesus!

That is the key to change! That is the key to Reform! That is what this apostolic reformation is all about! The Spirit intimated to me, ' reform to be conformed to the image of Christ!' That is how we are going to change the world. When each one of us desires to spend more time with Jesus and to conform to the image of God's Firstborn Son, we are going to sound like Him, act like Him and people are going to try to get into our shadows to get healed by Him.

Can a blogspot change the world? Yes it can! Translate this into any given language and send it out to the world! You have my permission! I Andries Jacobus Pelser, known as Andre, give you permission to translate these words into your language and distribute it for the glory of God.

We can change the world

My favourite group of all time Crosby, Stills and Nash (CS&N) sang ' We can change the world' in Graham Nash's song about Chicago. It starts off with, ' so your brother's bound and gagged and they tied him to a chair, would you please come to chicago just to sing, in a land that is known as freedom how can such a thing be fair, won't you please come to Chicago for the help that we can bring, we can change the world, re-arrange the world, its dying...to get better!'
How can we change the world with blog spaces? How can we communicate reforms in society, reforms in hearts and minds, is it a shot in the dark, a voice in the wilderness, or just shadow boxing, everyone trying their best to express their feelings, like a radio announcer hoping somebody out there is listening and not knowing if there is an audience!
Unfortunately CS&N spoke out against all rules and regulations ('who needs them?') in their song about changing the world. One has to remember that they were from the Woodstock Love and Freedom Hippie Generation that promoted free sex and drugs - that is the kind of world they wanted and which their songs inform their fans about, ' if you can't be with the one you love, love the one your with' (Stephen Stills).
So although they are my favourite group, their kind of new world order is something I have distanced myself from. Their gospel is not the Gospel I preach. So although I enjoyed their high riding harmonies and their unique sound on the guitars, I cannot agree with their philosophy.
We already know that free sex and drugs have almost destroyed, not changed, the world.
I will write more later - off to school to watch Hilton swim and ride a box cart!

What can I do for you?

Bob Dylan on his Saved Album sings, ' You have given me everything, what can I do for you?' It is a reminder of what Saul asked Jesus when he was knocked of his religious high horse on his way to Damascus to kill Christians who followed Christ, to drag them out of their homes, imprison them and approving their stoning like he did with the first Christian martyr, Stephen. Imagine his surprise when Jesus said, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, and then Jesus said, it is hard for you to kick against the goads!
You goad cattle to go into the dire straits of a cattle dip! Goads are sharp pointed sticks that prod you in the right direction.
Here was Saul with written permission from the Sanhedrin to destroy the first church and he was thinking he was doing God a favour. But when Jesus appeared to him, he was struck blind (temporarily) by the blindening light and he fell off his horse and heard a voice speak to him, because he could not see.
His first reaction was to ask, ' who are you Lord?' Then Jesus told him who He was. His second question was, ' What can I do for you?'
Either it was a wonderful Jewish salesman speaking or someone scared out of his wits, or it must have been his trained habit to respond in a similar fashion.
I once asked a friend of my father who was a very successful book keeper in Krugersdorp, Oom Joubert, what made him so prosperous. He said, 'Andre, when someone walks through that door I think, what can I do for that person!' Here lies the secret: he did not think, 'how much money can I make from this person!'
It is the thought behind the words that give weight to them. Many times I have walked into shops or restaurants and walked out again, even though I was asked, ' Can I help you?' Just because the words were insincere and empty.
In South Africa waiters and waitresses normally do it just for the tips. They do not get salaries, so it is a cheap way to staff the restaurant by hiring students. They are all studying to become something else than waiters. Their hearts are not in what they are doing. They will tell you so. Then why be served by them in the first place?
In Portugal, even in the tiniest sidewalk restaurant, old men, dressed smartly in bow tie and waist coat (black) will ask you if they could help you and actually mean it with all their hearts because they are plying their trade and wish to do nothing else: this is their lives! What a difference it makes to be served by professionals!
In life we do a lot of things and try a lot of things, but when we can truly say, 'what can I do for you?' and mean it, we will find our destiny and enjoy a purposeful life - instead of seeking our purpose with five easy steps as some books and seminars sell it to you!