Behond I Will Do a New Thing — Ralph Mahoney

Jesus said go ye therefore and teach all nations. World map tape outreach is fulfilling this divine commission by bringing you these messages for your spiritual edification. Open your Bible and your heart and share now in the teaching ministry from God's Word.

Behold, I Will Do a New Thing

We want to just.

Speak to you for a little while now tonight again from Isaiah 43 and verse 18. Isaiah 43 18, we'll read the whole passage again. I hope that by the Time the week is over you can quote it all. Amen, I wish we had sister Pauline Mills here to sing this passage for us for she has put it all to music and it's very beautiful.

But we'll read it tonight. Isaiah 43 starting at verse 18. Remember ye not the former things neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing. Now it shall spring forth. Shall ye not know it?

I will even make a way in the wilderness and Rivers in the desert. The beast of the field shall honor me the dragons and the owls because I give waters in the wilderness and Rivers in the desert to give drink to my people my chosen.

This people have I formed for myself. They shall show forth my praise. I Wonder how many of you are here tonight for the first time during this conference. Could I just see your hand? Oh My we've got quite a number.

Perhaps I should take just a few moments to review what we've been covering the last couple of nights. So that you'll be able to follow right along now with us tonight. We have been emphasizing verse 19 the Lord is saying behold, I will do a new thing.

Now it shall spring forth and it is our conviction that it is time For God to arise and do something above and beyond that which he's ever done in any generation at any time. Any place anywhere in his history of his dealings with the human race?

Clearing Away Religious Tradition

Now we recognize that if we are going to be involved in what God is doing. There is a principle that is expressed in Jeremiah 1 and 10. When God gets ready to do something he has to clear the ground. He has to call in his caterpillar and clear the ground.

He has to do what Jeremiah said root out pull down destroy and cast down. God has to come and do a renovation in our life. I Heard a dear brother from Washington DC. I didn't hear him say it, but I heard him quoted Dear colored brother a real prophet of the Lord.

He made the statement that All the demons in hell cannot annul the Word of God the Scriptures but our traditions. Our religious traditions can make it all of none effect. Now when you realize the power that religious tradition has upon your life.

You realize the severity of what God must do to us or in us? To release us from those things that prevent us from flowing with what he's wanting to do today. The emphasis we've been laying the last two nights is verse 18.

Remember ye not the former things. Secondly neither consider the things of old and What we are saying is that former things and things of old are the great Hindrances to what the Lord wants to do today.

Former things and things of old are the greatest hindrances to what the Lord wants to do today. Now I want to make a statement and I know that I'm treading on dangerous ground and saying this but one of the great tragedies of the seminaries and of the higher institutions of religious learning is that they cannot bring to you what God is saying.

Nor can they bring to you what God is doing at best. They can only rehearse for you what he has said and what he has done. Did you understand my statement and. So consequently we have graduated Quote into the ministry in quote.

Thousands of men who know what God said and what he did. But who have no understanding for the most part of what he's saying or what he's doing. Now God never does a thing anything without first revealing it to someone in The book of Amos you will find a principle expressed and I'll just read it to you tonight we were in the prophet Amos last night the fifth chapter, but I want to go to Another passage in Amos for this tonight.

You'll find it in chapter 3 and verse 7. This principle that is expressed Amos 3 and verse 7. Surely the Lord God will do nothing. Except or but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

Surely the Lord God will do nothing. But he revealeth or except he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. Now you'll find back in Isaiah 42 and verse 9 the Lord says the same thing. Behold the former things are come to pass.

God Reveals and Terminates Former Things

How many of you know that everything God has come comes to what it comes to what to pass. See when God does something it comes to what. See we grab hold of it and bless God we're going to perpetuate it forever.

Amen. See long after the anointing and blessing has lifted off of it. We're going to keep it going. Why why we've got a tradition to defend. Right. We must perpetuate the thing say and so God though he does something and it comes to pass.

See God is not only the Alpha the beginning, but he's also what the Omega the end and Many things that God begins. He also tried to terminate but men kept it going. I had to learn that lesson. I'll share that with you later tonight.

God not only comes to you as the beginning but he comes to you as the Omega the end. And he terminates some things that he begins but the tragedy is that men will not terminate it when God does. God lifts the blessing.

God lifts the cloud and men keep it going. The machinery is all in motion and they can't get it stopped. So on and on it goes and long after God is through with it men keep it going. Well, let's notice now Isaiah 42 in verse 9 behold the former things are come to pass and New things do I declare.

Before they spring forth I what I Tell you of them. Now this is one of the principles God works on before he does something he tells us of it. He does nothing except he reveal it unto his servants the prophets if we come over to the gospel of John chapter 16 and verse 13 we find that in the words of our Lord Jesus Christ.

He also Reiterated this truth for us John chapter 16 and I want you to notice now verse 13. John 16 verse 13. How be it when he the spirit of truth is come? He will guide you into all truth. He shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear that shall he speak and He will what?

He will show you things to come. How many of you know that one of the ministries of the Holy Spirit is to show you things to come? Before it comes I tell you of it. Now this is a principle God always works on.

He tries to find someone that will listen to him and show them what he's getting ready to do. When God was getting ready to destroy Sodom He had a counsel in heaven and he said shall I hide the thing which I'm getting ready to do from my servant?

Abraham. And if you read the story in Genesis chapter 19, you'll find that God decided no I can't hide it from my servant Abraham. I will go down and I will tell him what I'm getting ready to do. Now this is always the principle God works on he comes to show us things to come.

He comes to speak to us. But what does he encounter when he comes and tries to tell us? Well, he encounters all our traditions that are hanging to us that prevent us from saying yes Lord, I believe it.

I receive it. I move into it. Now what I'm actually saying tonight is my own personal testimony. Because you see for many years God talked to me about certain things. I Must give you a little background and perhaps I've shared this with some of you before but you bear with me.

The Pattern of the New Testament Church

Turn with me to the book of Hebrews the 8th chapter. Hebrews the 8th chapter. Now if you can understand the strength that religious tradition holds on people you would understand why the Spirit of God is Emphasizing this problem to us over and over so that he can break us loose to take us on Hebrews chapter 8.

Now, I want you to notice verse 5. The reason I'm calling your attention to this verse is because for years 11 years to be exact. This verse was the verse around which my life revolved. I'll just make the confession to you the last part of the verse.

I want to read it with you. See saith he that thou make all things what a According to the pattern. Someone pointed out here the other morning. I think it was brother moral that the Lord spoke this to Moses 17 times.

See saith he that thou make all things according to the pattern. Now for years that was my you know, that was my central theme. I had sat under the teaching ministry of a very dear man of God and I do not blame him for my Misconception at all and I'm not blaming anybody only my own ignorance.

But I was hung up on this idea that if I only Discovered the way they did it in the early church and would do it that way again Hallelujah, I would have the revival they had in the early church. How many of you are laboring under that misconception tonight?

You don't have to raise your hand, but See all we do glory to God is get Apostles prophets. He finds us pastors teachers deacons elders deaconess's and Automatically, we've got the glory that they had.

Well, I'll just save you 11 years. It doesn't happen. You can produce the most beautiful wineskin the most beautiful form and It can be absolutely devoid of wine. The wineskin does not produce the wine.

How many of you know that? See the structure of the early church was only a skin to contain the wine. That governmental order that God Established that thing just evolved and it evolved out of a very practical need.

Some widows were being neglected in the daily ministration. So what did they do? They said well, we've got to take care of the widow. So we'll appoint seven men full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom over this matter.

And so they appointed seven men to take care of that and we call them deacons. So now today when the government takes care of the widows, we still have deacons. Right. Now I know there's a practical need for some of these ministries today in the church.

But the point I'm making is that these things developed as a need developed. God had a practical answer to meet the need. Now, I know I'm treading again on some theological tolls here tonight. But let me step down real hard and deliver you and save you years of trouble because you see.

You can get everything structured just like the New Testament Church. But after you get it all done, there'll be one problem you'll have. You won't have the revival and the life of the New Testament Church.

And all you'll have is the empty structure the empty wine skin. And I don't care how beautiful it is. It will not produce wine. There is no wine skin yet that has ever produced wine. It can only at best contain wine.

Amen. Say oh me. Glory to God. I'm trying to save you trouble brethren. Years of time. The I studied watchman knee forward backward sideways up down. I knew all about New Testament Church order divine order, you know everything just asked me I could give you the answers from Genesis revelation in the middle in the sides everywhere.

But I never did take time to stop and read the introduction to brother knees book on the normal Christian church life. And in the introduction if I had read it and memorized it I would have saved myself years of trouble.

Because he warns you against the very thing. I'm trying to warn you against. That you can structure everything just like God led them to structured in China. At a time when God was decentralizing the church.

Why was God Decentralizing the church in China during the 30s and putting it back into the home. Because God knew the communist thing was coming and he wanted his church to survive and it couldn't survive in the structured church systems that were there.

So God moved by his spirit. He raised up men who had a vision of their day and time and God used them to restructure the church into a home Situation where it would survive the plague of communism now you may disagree with me, but I talked to men who worked with me during those years and God definitely was leading because there was a definite need now.

You take what God led them to do and bring it to America. And if America's not threatened with the same problem and try to impose the same thing you'll never have the life they had why. What they were doing was divinely ordered.

Divine Order Means Taking Orders from God

How many of you know what divine order is? It's taking orders from divinity. That's what divine order is taking orders from divinity. Taking orders from headquarters. I remember what p .m. Samuel said years ago.

They said brother Samuels. He's a great apostle from India. They said brother Samuels. Where are your headquarters? You know, they have 25 ,000 people at their conventions in India. He said oh, it's where my head is quartered.

It's in heaven where my head is. Jesus is the head. How many of you know that? And he's still able to give orders. That's divine order taking orders from headquarters. Now The thing I'm trying to say tonight.

I'm not trying to destroy your structure. Unless it needs to be destroyed and some of it may need to be. But the thing I'm trying to show you is that you see God comes along and says I want to do a new thing.

We say hallelujah. The way to get the new thing is to go back to the book of Acts and do it like they did it. No, God didn't say I want to do what I did in the book of Acts all over again. I want to do a new thing.

You know. Let me just tell you something again because listen, I'm talking right out of my heart to you tonight. I have been through this thing. Rather I could teach for hours on Apostles prophets evangelists pastors teachers not hours weeks on Deacons elders and their place in the function in the structure, but all of my understanding of the wine skin.

That God used to contain the flow of life in that early church never produced the life flow it never did and So we went through these years of frustration and because the life and blessing didn't come we'd examine the scriptures more carefully.

And we would take the letter and we would search it more carefully and we had find out. Oh, I know what's wrong. We should have seven deacons instead of six. Oh, I know to keep everything fair. We ought to have four deaconesses.

Instead of three. Oh. We've got we must have an apostle even if the Lord hasn't called one we've got to have one. So say so we appoint all this business. You know, it doesn't produce the life. Now I want to take you over to the book of Hebrews with me for a moment.

Christ the Builder of the House

Book of Hebrews and I'd like you to notice with me. Hebrews chapter 3. And I'd like you to notice with me if you will verse 3. Hebrews chapter 3 in verse 3. And what I'm dealing with tonight are those impeding things that prevent us from flowing with the new thing God says he's going to do and this thing I'm dealing with tonight I think is one of the most serious problems we have today and flowing with what God is bringing forth in our day we go back to past Generations to pass things God did things that came to pass we go back and try to make them permanent now.

Hebrews chapter 3. I'd like you to notice verse 3 for this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses talking about Jesus as He who hath Builded the house what? Hath more honor than the house. Now what are we saying here tonight.

He that buildeth the house hath more honor than the house now, what is the house of God? What's another word for it? The church. The church is the house of God. Ye also Peter says are built up and spiritual priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices.

Paul refers to the church in whom the whole building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord. And all through the New Testament the church becomes the house or temple of God the dwelling place of God.

Now He that buildeth the house hath what? More honor than the house. Now Jesus said in Matthew 16. It's recorded on this rock. I will walk. I Will build my church. I will build it. Now what are we going to give more honor to tonight the church?

Building or the Lord who's building the church now. You see the problem is we get our center and focus on the church on The building on the pattern on the government on the structure on the letter on the legalistic concept of how it all happened and We get our eyes off of the Lord who's building the house and.

And he that buildeth this house must always have more honor than the house and Once we take the honor that belongs to him and give it to the house. We have made an idol out of the house. There is an idolatry if you will hear me tonight in Worshipping and serving the house.

You are taking that honor which belongs to him and giving it to the house. And that's idolatry. Brother, if you will open your eyes to recognize tonight that he is first. He is last and he's everything in between Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end and everything in between he comes to the church and he says for heaven's sake will you get your eyes off the house and Realize the house is not the life.

I Am the way the truth and the life. I know this may sound hard tonight, but it's got to be here. I'll never blast you out of your problem. That's true. Religious tradition is the hardest thing for God to break off of us.

We will tenaciously cling to concepts that are producing nothing. But wood hay and stubble and we'll hold on to them and drag the whole church into death. We will do what Adam did in the Garden of Eden.

God offers a tree of life and there is a tree of knowledge of good and evil. He says now stay away from that tree of knowledge and stay over here with a tree of life. What do we do in the church. We turn from the tree of life and blessing and revival.

And we send our men through 14 years at the tree of knowledge. Come on, and it's the knowledge of good as Well as the knowledge of evil. Many good things over here to learn to know but what does that all do?

It causes us to reject the tree of life and turn back to the tree of knowledge. Thinking that here we'll find our answers. And they're not there let me tell you Oh God help you tonight. Listen, I could save some of you fellows that are training for the ministry 20 years if you'll listen to me.

If you're looking for life. If you're looking for the flow of God if you're looking for the stream of what God's doing today. Hear me tonight for heaven's sake hear me. Because We will turn to that tree and it's an empty cistern that holds no water.

The water is him. He's the water of life. He's the bread of heaven. The thing that made that early church what it was is that they were centered in him. They took knowledge of those ignorant and unlearned fishermen that they had been where? with Jesus.

They had been with the tree of life and Because they were with the tree of life the life was flowing in that generation. It wasn't the forms. It wasn't the fact they had apostles and epistles. I mean if you know that I Respect those offices understand me tonight.

I should add a word of balance. I do. I Respect the settings of God in setting Apostles and prophets and evangelists and pastors and teachers. I Respect that but I tell you I do not bow down to the tree of knowledge.

I Know the only source of life is in the tree of life Jesus Christ. What this world needs tonight is the life of God flowing out to it. You'll never find that in universities or anywhere else any place of learning except the school of the Spirit you see we turn back from the source the builder of the house and we turn to the house and the house becomes an Idolatry.

Testimony from Argentina: Healing and Revival

The way it's done becomes so important. I Have seen God moving in great life and revival. I could tell you of a situation in Argentina I'm almost afraid to talk about it because this tape will probably get down there and somebody will listen to it and say I was Talking about him and I was.

But I'm going to tell you about it because it illustrates what I'm saying. Here was a dear little brother that God sent that sins down there to a city. I won't even tell you where in the country but he was Preaching to a group of Indians one day and the Spirit of the Lord suddenly quickened to him.

Isaiah 53. I think it's verse five six or seven there. I'll give you the Neighborhood and you can look up the address later. Surely he hath born our sorrows and carried away our pains and the Spanish version says surely he hath born our sicknesses and Carried away our pains and by his stripes Ye are healed.

The Spirit of God quickened one word to him surely surely. Surely. And he began to repeat it. Sitting in front of him were 75 Indians two-thirds of which had tuberculosis. It's awful plague of the lungs That robs men of their strength and causes them to spit out and cough up blood continually.

And there was no cure and no medical help available and no dietary sufficiency to help them and as he repeated that word surely surely surely. Surely surely surely God made it a tree of life and those Indians began to get healed of their tuberculosis.

And begin to stand and jump and rejoice and praise God. Now how many of you ever took a course on divine healing that tells you to say surely and God will heal 50 tubercular people.

Please turn the tape over for the remainder of the message.

You don't get it at the tree of knowledge. But God so quickened that word to him. It became the key to his ministry. And he got up and started preaching that thing every day three times a day he was having services and all he would say is surely surely surely and God would quicken it and people are getting healed all over the place.

That thing developed into a revival. People started coming from all over South America. Over a hundred new people a day started coming. It leveled off to that. It was much more than that in the beginning.

He finally built a building about the size of this one. We're in tonight. Very simple plain construction fill the place with some crude benches three times a day to get up and preach surely God would heal the people.

Finally he realized that many people were getting healed without being introduced to Jesus Christ. So he took some of the people that were there in the town and he started training them how to lead these people that were Coming from all over South America to the Lord.

So he gave them some courses and showing them how to lead them to the Lord and so on and so as the people would come In he wouldn't allow them to come into the healing minute meeting unless they first.

Were able to give assurance that they knew Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. So they start keeping records. They had the people fill out cards and giving names and addresses. In one year's time 36 ,862 people went through that church.

People from out of town who came to get healed and in the process got saved and went back over 35 ,000 people a year were coming through there and that went on for four or five years and then a man came from the United States a Man who's been educated in the seminary a man with great learning and a man of great ability and our dear brother.

I don't criticize the brother for what he is, but only for what he did. He came in and he looked at this thing and a man up there preaching three times a day. Surely surely surely. And he said this is not according to divine order.

This is not according to New Testament Church order. If we're going to have a New Testament Church, we've got to have all these things. This poor old brother. He didn't know that. He says we do. Oh, yes, we've got to have all this or it is a New Testament Church.

So he comes along and he starts trying to slip Saul's armor. Forgive me for calling it that. But that's about the only analogy I can think of on David. All David had was the anointing. How many of you know, that's all you need and started trying to slip Saul's armor on.

And brother it killed that thing better than a mackerel. Within a year. They had people in the aisles of that church with guns pointed at each other. I'm not kidding you that actually literally happened the division and strife and and Terrible bitterness of spirit that broke forth in that people as the tree of life was snatched away from them.

And in its place the tree of knowledge. And they were bitter. And they came in with guns. To have a shootout over this thing. That literally happened. Brother, I want to tell you something tonight the tree of life.

It's what God wants to bring back into the church and I don't care. The expression of that life particularly in its form. I don't care what shape the wineskin is. I'm concerned with one thing. Is there wine in the skin?

Is there life in the skin. Is the blessing and life of God flowing? And if the life is there don't come along and tell me it's not divine order. If God ordered it, it's divine order. If God gave the instructions for it.

It's divine order. I Want to take you back a moment again to Hebrews 8 and verse 5. And I want to give you what God gave me after 11 years of insisting on everything being done according to the pattern.

The Pattern Shown in the Mouth of God

Desperation one day I cried out to God. I said God I'm tired of this business. We've got everything exactly like it's supposed to be and there's no life. There's no blessing. It's just all the latter that killeth.

I Said what in the world is wrong. I have done everything to get this thing, right? The Lord said look Mahoney you hardhead. Why don't you read the rest of the verse. You would have thought in 11 years.

I'd have taken the trouble to do that, but you can read the Bible with blinders on. With a veil over your heart. Because you're so set in your tradition and in your concept and in your religiosity. You're not willing to listen to God reveal something to you.

So I opened my Bible again, and I read it. She saith he that thou make all things According to the pattern and I'd put a period there for 11 years. But there wasn't any period there. Why did it take me 11 years to find that out?

Because of my tradition my concept my eating at the tree of knowledge. And I began to read on see saith he that thou make all things according to the pattern showed thee in the mouth. Oh Brother when I saw that it was according to the pattern showed thee in the mouth that God was wanting it.

Changed my life. Because suddenly I recognized that God was talking to me and saying something to me. And the reason you're here tonight is because I start listening to God. I Started listening to what he was saying to me and started implementing what he was saying.

And there's no pattern for it anywhere that I found yet I can find no precedent for what I'm doing today. Only I've taken orders from headquarters and that headquarters I'm talking about is in heaven and I'm doing what God said do.

That's why you're here tonight. Because I began doing all things according to the pattern showed me in the mouth of God. God called me apart for a time of seeking his face and begin to show me what he wanted me to do.

And I protested and I rejected and I did everything God said you'd listen or you're lost. And I started listening and I started doing it according to the pattern. He showed me I'm not using this as an excuse tonight to introduce anything extra biblical or counter biblical.

I Believe that everything that we do that comes subjectively to us must again be measured in the light of this. But I found out it was scriptural to listen to what God was saying and do what he said. Far more scriptural than trying to follow in the tradition of a previous generation.

A Nicaragua Testimony of Sovereign Visitation

Let me give you an illustration of what I'm talking about in another realm again. This is personal testimony. You forgive me I was down in the Caribbean. About 1962 I guess this would have been a Brother from Canada and I were traveling together up the east coast of Nicaragua.

Covering that whole east coast with a series of beatings. We'd had some campaigns there in 1959 in which God had moved in in such a sovereign way. I saw things that I just couldn't believe. Someone made the remark here the other morning that they hadn't seen the book of Acts yet.

And the glory of what God had done the book of Acts. I don't mean this to be sacrilegious or sound braggadocious. But I saw God working there in Nicaragua 1959 in a greater way than I've read anything about in the scriptures.

And that may sound braggadocious, but forgive me if it does it just happened. Before I could get my hands on people God was healing them. Whole villages of five six hundred people turned to the Lord and one night.

Leave a native worker and go off and leave a congregation of four or five hundred people after three services. That whole area was under a sovereign visitation of God at that time and everywhere We went we saw things that we just couldn't believe.

I'd stand there and blink my eyes. You know, it wasn't really, you know this idea of God's great man of faith and power hogwash. I Stood there intellectually questioning what I was seeing when it was happening.

Carnal mind is enmity against God and my old carnal mind would stand there and here would be a man blind one minute and seeing. The next and I'd say was that guy really blind? Really? That's the truth.

Deaf ears lame bones everything you can imagine God was healing it. It was God. Wasn't my great faith. It was his great faithfulness. That's what it always is. I'll just let you in on a little clue. Back at two four says the just shall live by his faith.

Paul said I live by the faith of the Son of God who died and gave himself for me. The faith of the Son of God operative in you if anything's happening. Well, anyway, we were out on this island 1962 off the coast of Nicaragua.

On most maps you'll find it Isle de Maze or Corn Island in English little island. About 3 ,000 people on it. Just a spot on the map. And yet one of the fellows that had been converted in the meetings in 59 had gone out there and he started preaching.

No education nothing. Just had a Bible and the Holy Ghost and he went out there and started preaching seven places around the island. He had a service every night. God gave him a tremendous Time of blessing as far as souls getting saved and all but yet there was still a Problem there on the island just seemed like that.

He couldn't get a real breakthrough to see the island really touched in the way. He wanted to see it touched. When I say the Lord really blessed perhaps I should moderate that and say he had some conversions.

He had fruit for his labors, but there still wasn't the breakthrough. He wanted to see so we had come to try to help him and Again we were faced with a group of Indians and I am only commenting now on my experience in this situation.

I don't know that all Indians are like this, but these were. These people were so stoic That one of them got his leg broken for example. He had to be put in a motorboat a speedboat. Taken 50 miles across very rough waters that thing just slamming the The thing and here he had a broken leg with a bone sticking right out through the flesh.

This fellow never so much as groaned or whimpered. That's how stoic these people are show. No emotion. No expression of pain or joy or anything. They just man they're just like steel. And here we were trying to communicate the gospel to them.

And this one sister particularly we had taught by the hours to her. I took her through all the soul winning courses I'd ever taken three times and when I would get through and ask her have you received Jesus now as your personal Savior?

She'd say I don't know. Intellectually, I could not make a convert out of her. I Don't know why she couldn't understand receiver what but she could not get anywhere my trying to give the gospel to her.