Walk Out of Darkness – Excerpt from “God’s Plan for Financing the Ministry” by Apostle F. Nolan Ball

Posted on by F. Nolan Ball

It has been my experience that the revelations of Yahweh’s ways seldom if ever come to us in one blinding flash. The journey out of the darkness of spiritual ignorance is usually a plodding walk—one small step at a time—until the Holy Spirit (the Revealer of all truth) suddenly and dramatically brings all of the bits and pieces together to form one bright, clear, detailed picture of Yahweh’s plan. Also, I have discerned that the first step toward the final destination is very often taken in, what appears to be, the opposite direction. It certainly worked that way with me in regard to Yahweh’s way of financing the ministry.

One of the first areas in which the Holy Spirit began teaching me about finances was with regard to my responsibility as husband and the head of my house. During the years from the time of beginning college until the Holy Spirit began dealing with me in this area of finances (about twenty years), I gave very little time or attention to financial matters in the Ball household. During those years, because I worked a full-time secular job as well as carrying a full load in college and/or pastoring, there just simply did not seem to be enough time for me to handle the finances, so that responsibility fell to Shirley, a job she handled quite well. But since our income was very limited, it was a job carrying a lot of emotional stress.

Looking back, I now understand that the first lesson about financing the ministry which the Holy Spirit taught me was that in addition to being responsible to provide our family’s finances, I was also responsible to give oversight for the spending of that money, especially the paying of bills, and thereby release Shirley from the tremendous emotional pressure of handling the family finances. Once I accepted and assumed the role of financial manager in our home, I became an insulator between her and bills and other pressing financial needs.

At first, Shirley resented my wanting to take over the family checkbook, and the paying of the bills. She felt that it was somehow a criticism of her performance. She also was offended by now having to come to me for money. I understood her feelings, but I also believed that this was the right thing to do, although I had no indication of where this step would finally lead me. Let me say that Shirley soon got over her hurt feelings, and given the choice, would not go back to the way it was for so long. We soon worked out an arrangement that has worked very satisfactorily for us. We each have a checking account on which the other one can write checks, but not without prior approval. Out of our income each week, I deposit a designated amount into Shirley’s account. Out of that, she buys groceries, operates the house, buys gas for her car, and buys her clothes. Plus, she always manages to get more money than we have agreed upon. I take care of our giving, savings, paying the bills, and major purchases that we agree upon. I really believe that it is important for husbands to assume their rightful responsibility in this area. I do not personally know of a family that is prospering, with Yahweh’s blessing, where the husband is not responsible for the family’s finances. Although Shirley was reluctant to accept this change, she soon came to appreciate the freedom from the hassle of juggling the household finances and the personal liberty this new plan brought to her.

The second step out of financial darkness and into the revelation that was to come, also came about in an unusual way. When we came to pastor this church, it was apparent to everyone that there was an urgent need for new facilities. We began the involved and sometimes frustrating exercise of preparing to enter into a building program. We settled on plans for a fan shaped brick building that provides seating for 1,000 people, plus offices and classrooms. We chose to finance the building by selling church bonds. And we decided to serve as our own contractor. An experienced and qualified builder in the church was hired to work on the project and to supervise the overall construction. Men of the church voluntarily gave a great sum of time in constructing the building. I served as the overseer of the work, handled all of the purchasing, worked with the sub-contractors, worked on the building every day during the entire construction period, and continued to fulfill my pastoral responsibilities. Because we all contributed so much, the cost of the building was kept much lower than what it might have been. Therefore the building never placed any financial pressure upon us, but that would not be the case with the next building program.

When we began the building that now houses our school, gymnasium, kitchen, youth auditorium, and children’s ministries, it was my desire and intention to build it debt-free. Also, because my work on the first building had been so taxing, and because my pastoral responsibilities had increased, I did not intend that I, nor any of my staff, would work on this project. Sad to say, I did not hold myself to either of those commitments. Without me on the job, the work just seemed to drag on and on. Eventually, my patience wore to the point where I and my associates went to work on the building to get it completed. Though we completed most of the building without borrowing any money, I found myself again yielding to the weariness of the flesh. We made two loans with our bank to finance the completion of the building. In the natural, neither of these decisions was a bad move, but in the spirit, I felt that it was not Yahweh’s best for us. And yet it was in the pressure those decisions produced that I really began to seek Yahweh earnestly about His financial plan. He does have one, you know; He has one for the family, one for the business, and one for the ministry.

Even though we borrowed money to complete the building, we did not borrow enough to cover all of the expenses, so there were a lot of bills left to be paid. And because I and my associates had neglected the congregation to some extent in order to work on the building, the income of the church suffered. Each week, the business manager and I were forced to do a lot of juggling in order to keep all of our accounts current and safeguard the financial integrity of the church. It was in this circumstance that I began diligently seeking Yahweh and requested that my staff join me in praying that Yahweh would get us out from under the pressure of all the bills, so that we could get on with the ministry. In my desire to receive help from Yahweh in this matter, I could not foresee that His answer would involve my personal finances.

Sometime after we had begun praying for Yahweh’s special help in getting this financial burden off us so that we could get on with the ministry, an evangelist came to minister for several services. I was not prepared for what he would do. In his first service, the evangelist began talking about what the church ought to do for me and my wife. He said that the Holy Spirit had directed him to tell the people that my wife and I ought to have a new car, and it should be paid for. He then indicated that he wanted the offering, which had been received that night for him, to be given to us as a payment on a new car. Then he encouraged each family to consider contributing enough to cover one payment on a new car. I felt very uncomfortable and embarrassed by the whole thing. I felt very comfortable asking for others, but I was very uncomfortable having someone ask for me. And he continued this in the succeeding services. My embarrassment and uncomfortableness increased to the point where I was ready to dismiss the evangelist and terminate the meeting. But then the Holy Spirit spoke to me. He reminded me of my continuing prayer that we would be delivered from the oppressive financial burden, and He assured me that He was about to answer our prayer if I would trust Him. I did not understand how what this brother was doing could be tied in any way to the answer to our prayer, but I did know the voice of the Spirit, so I decided to continue the meeting, keep my mouth shut, and see what Yahweh would do.

At the encouraging of the evangelist, people began giving money to me for a new car, and they continued giving when he had left town. I was fifty years old and had never been in a new car show room to look at new cars. First of all, a new car has never been any special thing to me, and besides, there had been no way for us to afford one. Not long before the evangelist came, we had traded for the nicest car we had ever owned, and although it was several years old, we were quite happy with it. So when people began to give us money for a car, I began applying it to what we owed on that car. We had already determined that we would not go into debt just to have a new car.

A few weeks after the evangelist was with us, a woman evangelist was scheduled to be with us for services, Sunday night through Wednesday night. On the Friday before she came on Sunday, a brother brought a check for one thousand dollars to the church for me. I knew this was more than enough to finish paying off our car, but I also knew it would be the next week before the check could be processed and transmitted to me. I thought that I might have enough money accumulated without that check to pay off the car that Friday, but when I went to the bank, I learned that I lacked a few dollars. I looked forward to being able to pay off the car the next week.

The evangelist came in Sunday afternoon, and as is my custom, I asked her to join me and my staff in my office for prayer, prior to the service. After the prayer time, the staff left the office, and as they left, this lady pulled me aside and began telling me that as she had been in prayer earlier that afternoon, she believed the Holy Spirit had spoken to her about some needs in the church. I informed her that my policy was to not discuss anything about an individual or the church with a visiting speaker, but I wanted her to be obedient to the Holy Spirit. As I turned to go, she again pulled me aside, and said that she believed the Holy Spirit had directed her to do something, but I could tell she was apprehensive about doing it. Again I informed her that I would not discuss anything with her, but encouraged her to obey the Spirit. And again as I turned to go, she pulled me aside and said, “I believe the Lord has told me to raise fifteen thousand dollars tonight for the ministry of this church.” I thought, “Sister, it would be a great miracle if you could raise fifteen thousand dollars in this church.” But I said, “I am not going to discuss the needs of the church with you, but you do whatever you believe the Lord wants you to do.”

When I turned the service over to the evangelist, she began, somewhat nervously, to explain to the people that the Holy Spirit had instructed her to raise fifteen thousand dollars for the church’s ministry. Usually, I sit on the platform when a guest is preaching, but that night I had moved to a seat in front of the pulpit. As the evangelist began to make her request, the Holy Spirit very quickly talked to me about the one thousand dollars that had been given for me on Friday. He said to me, “You can give that one thousand dollars into this offering, and trust me to help you pay off the car, or you may use it to pay off your car. You may do whatever you choose; it is your money to do with as you desire.” In a flash, I made the decision to put the one thousand dollars into the offering, and was delighted to do so, because I had in mind that we were going to be able to pay our bills and begin other ministries. Yahweh moved through the congregation in a powerful way, and in no more than twelve minutes’ time, more than fifteen thousand dollars had been committed either in cash or pledges. What a time of praise ensued!

The Monday night service was full of joy and power as the evangelist ministered, and I was greatly relieved that the emphasis was finally off money and what should be done for me. But the worst was yet to come. The service Tuesday night moved on very well until the evangelist began to minister. It seemed that she took up the message of what the church ought to do for me right where the previous evangelist had left off.

Never have I experienced such a wrenching emotional experience as I did for the next hour. Everything she had to say was to do with the church’s responsibility to me. I was embarrassed and angered as she went on and on. I had always believed that I could take care of myself, and I was not about to reduce the role of the minister to that of a beggar. I did not want hand-outs, and I certainly did not want to endure the indignity of having someone else asking for me. I determined that if I lived to tell about that night, no one would ever put me into that embarrassing situation again. The worst and the best was yet to come.

Finally, the evangelist brought her message to a close, and I was greatly relieved—but only for a moment. She asked Shirley and me to come stand and receive an offering from the people as she asked them to come individually to give an offering to us and express their love. I have always resented seeing people embarrassed into giving, and I abhorred the thought of being the recipient of such giving. However, I was trapped with no way out, except to do as she had instructed. As Shirley and I stood before the people, outwardly we were trying to smile our appreciation, but inwardly, we were humiliated.

I was totally unprepared for what was about to transpire within the next few minutes. I could not see how any of this was fitting into Yahweh’s answer to our prayer. One brother came to the microphone and told the people that as he was preparing for church that night, the Holy Spirit had told him that the money raised on Sunday night was not for the church, but was for Shirley and me to have a new car. I was astounded; I had no trouble believing that the money was raised for the church, but I did not know how to receive such a gift, personally. Then another brother came and confirmed that Yahweh had told him the same thing. Then the congregation showed its approval by spontaneously breaking into joyous applause. Then Shirley took the microphone and spoke to the people. I was in such an emotional state at that point that I’m not sure of all she said, but basically she shared with the people how she felt that at times she had held me back, because she wanted the people to love me, and was always concerned I would offend the people if I preached what I ought to, but she knew my heart, and knew that I loved the people and always sought to do the will of Yahweh.

During this time, the Holy Spirit was doing a work in me. I was reminded of an experience that occurred early in my Christian life. I lived a good clean life before I was saved. I was a hard worker, followed the rules, kept my nose clean, and did more than requested. But I had a stubborn spirit and refused to take any “junk” from anyone, even when I was in the military. Afterward, Yahweh showed me that this spirit was akin to the spirit of a wild stallion. The picture of a wild stallion standing on a hillside with his mane blowing in the breeze is an appealing sight to the natural man, but in reality, that animal is useless until someone puts a halter and saddle on him and breaks that wild rebellious spirit and brings it under control. So, in the Kingdom of Yahweh, it is not the strength of the “wild” man that brings glory to Yahweh, but the spirit of a meek man. Actually the word “meek” means to be brought under control.

Yahweh had dealt with and “meeked” this “wild” spirit in me early in my Christian life. During the summer between my first and second years of Bible college, I worked on a construction job. As always, I worked hard, and with my mouth and my labor bore witness of my faith in Yahshua. A situation arose where I was not paid what I should have been paid, and when I called attention to it, I was told that I would receive the money in my next pay. But when I did not receive the money in the next pay period, I went back to the superintendent who proceeded to curse me in front of other employees and tell me in no uncertain words that I was not going to receive the money due me. Never before had I just walked away from that kind of injustice, but now I was caught in a difficult situation. I knew I could fight with the man verbally or physically and win, but I also knew if I did I would destroy my Christian testimony on that job, and would also lose my job and be unable to provide for my family. I made a decision to do what I had never done; I decided to accept this unjust treatment and not fight to get what was mine.

As I sat on the front of the platform that night with my head in my hands, wondering what in the world was going on, the Holy Spirit quickly took me back to that day on the construction job. I was reminded how Yahweh had broken that “wild stallion” spirit in me and how this had enabled me to endure a lot of wrongs and injustices in the ministry in order to be the leader He had called me to be.

Then the Holy Spirit spoke to me that this night was another night of breaking and delivering. The Holy Spirit told me I had always taken the attitude that I would refuse to ask anyone for anything, that I could and would work with my own hands to provide for my family. That was true. I had worked at various jobs to provide for our family. Often I purposely chose a lower paying job that would give me greater flexibility toward my pastoral responsibilities. Shirley and I had probably put as much money back into the churches we pastored in our early years as we took out. Never had we talked of our personal needs to the people, and never had we asked them for any financial help. And now the Holy Spirit had a hard word for me: “You have called this attitude humility, but I call it an attitude of pride.” He showed me it had been my pride in my ability and strength that had kept me from humbling myself before the people and requiring of them what the Bible teaches we ought to require.

The Holy Spirit reminded me of how wonderfully I had been delivered of the “spirit of the wild stallion,” and “Now,” He said, “I am going to deliver you of this spirit of pride.” Suddenly, I experienced the most wonderful deliverance; I felt as though I were breathing all the way to my toes. I could not stop. I wanted to breathe deeper and deeper. Suddenly I knew I would never again be intimidated by what people might think and say. I knew I would forever be free to preach about money with a pure heart. Yahweh had released me from a false humility that had kept me in financial bondage all those years. I was released to teach our church the truth about financing the ministry. Truly that night contained a bit of the worst and a bit of the best for me.

When the Holy Spirit began teaching me Yahweh’s plan for financing the ministry, I felt I was to lay aside all I had ever learned about how those in the ministry are to be paid and go to the Bible with an open mind to find out for myself what Yahweh has to say about this very important, but largely neglected, subject. I have observed in every article I have read and every spoken message I have heard on this subject of financing the ministry that the same religious thinking comes through. In some cases, the intent has been to take what are thought to be sound, proven business principles and apply them to the matter of financing the ministry. I contend that whether the approach is made from either the religious view (we’ve always done it this way) or the worldly business principle (if it is good enough for the banker, it ought to be good enough for the preacher), the end result is going to be far off base.

We are privileged to be living in a time when we can look back over the past four hundred years of church history and see how the Holy Spirit has been tearing away the religious thinking that has been like a veil over the spiritual eyes of Yahweh’s people. The Holy Spirit has been restoring, by revelation, Yahweh’s truth to His Church. Since there are few things that touch and affect the effectiveness of the church more than money, it ought to be easy for us to believe there is a divine plan, and that there is need for the Holy Spirit to sweep away the false teaching, and bring us back to a clear understanding of Yahweh’s way of financing the ministry.

Understanding and applying Yahweh’s principles in this matter of financing the ministry is just as vital to the releasing of the church to become Yahweh’s mighty and glorious witness in the earth as any other area of truth on which we have received the Spirit’s revelation in recent years.

If it is important to the work of Yahweh, then I am persuaded He has not left us to figure it out for ourselves; his pattern is in the Word. Often that pattern has been obscured, if not totally blotted out, by years of religious thinking. Whenever we get away from His pattern, the end result is always going to be disastrous. There was a reason why Yahweh repeatedly said to Moses, “See that you follow the pattern….”

Yahweh did not leave the vital matter of financing the ministry to the changing whims of people, nor to the natural thinking of man. If we understand that the bottom line determining success or failure in almost every project we undertake, is “Can we come up with the money to adequately finance it?”, then we will understand the extreme importance of financing the ministry. I believe the church has not been hindered in its mission nearly as much by the lack of ideas or willing workers as it has been by the lack of capital. Surely, our God, who claims right to all the gold and silver by the act of creation, never intended that His church should be restricted in fulfilling its mission because of the lack of finances. And yet that, more than anything else, has been the case. It is time that we set the record straight, and begin to do it Yahweh’s way.

Following the direction of the Holy Spirit, I began my search by simply determining to sit down with my Bible and concordance in order to search out and examine every Scripture that relates to this subject of financing the ministry. I found that Yahweh had not left this subject to the whims of man. I found out that ever since Yahweh has had a ministry, He has always had a way to finance that ministry, and His plan will always work, and His plan does not change. Since I had no point to prove, I was free to look at and examine every related Scripture. That is what I endeavored to do without prejudice. I found, to my delight, that His way is right, it brings peace to the work of Yahweh, it guarantees success, and it is not dependent upon any externals such as the national government or national economy.

Following my personal study, I met with the men who were serving on our church board at that time for the purpose of reviewing these related Scriptures and sharing with them my conclusions. As I recall, we spent about eight hours reading and discussing these Scriptures. I told those men that my only purpose was to find out what Yahweh has to say about the matter, and then as nearly as possible, to line up with what He has said. At the conclusion of our time, the men said, “Pastor, we have been wrong; we need to make some changes.” My response was that if I understood the Scriptures correctly, then they had no Biblical authority in the matter whatsoever, and before any action was taken, it was my intention to teach the same things to our entire church body. It has been my experience that changes in the church are best made only after the Biblical truth regarding that particular issue has been taught and accepted by the people. Changes made by pressure, by political maneuvering, by charismatic persuasion, or by any means other than through teaching the Word and allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth to the people, are almost certainly destined to create big problems later on.

Let me say here that I believe the overwhelming majority of men who serve or have served on church boards are good men who want to do the right thing. But they have been in the dark as to what the Bible really says; therefore, the same mistakes keep being repeated. If they are, in fact, ignorant as to what the Bible really teaches, then it is the fault of the ministry. I trust that the Holy Spirit will use the material in this book in a very large way to do away with this ignorance, bring all of us to an understanding of Yahweh’s method of financing the ministry, and so bring the church into great liberty.

More than any other issue, money holds the potential to create misunderstanding and problems in the church. I would venture to say that if pastors were polled concerning the subject they feel the most uncomfortable about addressing in their preaching, money would head the list. And if the subject were in regard to how they are to be paid, then the uncomfortableness would be even more pronounced. That being the case, can you imagine, as a pastor, preaching for seven consecutive Sunday mornings on the subject of “Financing the Ministry: What Does God Say?”? I think it is important to recall here my account of how Yahweh dealt with me about this issue, and how He delivered me from a false humility that was actually an attitude of pride, and how He made me to know that He had delivered me from any fear or intimidation in this matter, and how He anointed me to preach this message.

For seven Sunday mornings in a row, for more than an hour in each message, I did what I had done with our church board; I went Scripture by Scripture through the Bible for the purpose of firmly establishing in the hearts of our people what Yahweh has to say about financing the ministry. We can know for sure that we are being directed by the Holy Spirit and are speaking the mind of Yahweh on a particular subject, but I don’t think any of us can often accurately predict the reaction of the people. That is where I was. I knew what I was doing was right; I knew it was being done at the right time; I knew it was being done with the right motive; but I did not know what the reaction of the people would be. It is one thing to have a few men, sitting with you in your office, to come into agreement with you, but it is quite another thing to anticipate what several hundred people may do, especially when they have opportunity of discussing between Sundays what you have said. But any apprehension anyone might have experienced during those seven weeks was laid to rest the moment I concluded the last message; the people spontaneously stood and applauded their approval. We had heard the truth and the truth was setting us free.

I have taken care to share with you all of the pertinent information leading up to the changes we have made at The Rock of Panama City, Florida, because I believe they are vital to properly understanding and implementing those same changes elsewhere. In my study of the Bible, I have noted that Yahweh almost never chose to convey truth to His people by setting that truth in abstract form, nor in fiction, but most often, He chose the vehicle of biography. I hope you agree that is still an effective method. Thank you for taking the time to read what might be described as simply the introduction, but what I believe is vital to fully understanding the things Yahweh has directed me to share with the whole body of Christ, and especially with my co-laborers in the gospel. I now ask you to please take the time to read thoughtfully the final chapters of this book. Now, may I present to you my understanding of Yahweh’s plan for financing the ministry.

This is My Story: Chris and Hope Woods Testimony

Posted on by F. Nolan Ball

Chris and Hope Woods are extremely valued and loved at our Ekklesia, The Rock of Panama City. This is a video of Chris and Hope sharing their testimony of salvation and experience with Apostle F. Nolan Ball and The Rock Ministry. Yahweh is faithful and he does all things well! See more testimonies on Apostle F. Nolan Ball’s new testimonial website, http://www.nolanball.org.

The Geodesic Dome: Excerpt from The Kingdom by Apostle F. Nolan Ball

Posted on by F. Nolan Ball

In pursuing Yahshua the Christ of Yahweh, my heart has been to know Him and to find in Him my purpose. With me, it has never been about heaven–what it will be, nor how to get there. My thinking has been, if I can know His purpose for me and accomplish it, everything else will be alright. I have found great comfort and an enduring rest in Yahshua’s word found in John 7:17: “If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know….”

For me, doing the stuff, such as fervently praying, fasting, or whatever, has not resulted in my knowing the way of the Lord. But, as I have rested at the close of my “day,” i.e. a span of time during which I had very clear and concise knowledge of what I was to do and/or say, I have entered into a sabbath–a time of rest and refreshing. I have found that accomplishing Yahweh’s purpose does not require me to be busy working, working, working, day and night. Our failure–or perhaps I should say, my repeated failures–to observe and enjoy Yahweh’s rests, has without a doubt provided my adversary opportunity to find an opening in my defense. But, Yahweh is gracious and long-suffering with His children and I am certain that my “times of repentance” have provided Yahweh access into my life for the purpose of putting me back on track that I may continue pursuing Him and His purposes for me.

In bringing a close to this small book, I will write a very simple, yet profound explanation of how Holy Spirit will spiritually–not physically–join together all the members of this one thing called the Body of Christ, the Ekklesia.

In writing of the resurrection of our bodies, the Apostle Paul stated that the order is, “…first the natural and afterward the spiritual.” I Corinthians 15:46. For myself, concerning the receiving of revelation, the order most often is first the spiritual, then the natural. For instance, concerning the various governments of man, the first government was Yahweh’s, i.e., the family. That was and is Holy Spirit’s order; it is what He empowers, it is the one form from which He can work from the inside-out. The natural man’s government is always designed to appeal to man’s lower nature–not his highest and finest.

If Yahweh were an ice cream maker, there would be only one flavor. On the other hand, man seeks to cater to the flesh, à la Baskin-Robbins® 31 flavors.

It has long been quoted: “You cannot learn anything new if you are doing all the talking.” But, years ago, there was a day when I spoke in disagreement with that axiom: “You can learn many new things if you will talk in the Spirit.” Many times, I have been talking to another person (or to myself if no one is present) and in the moment I realize that I have just learned something I never knew. Did not Apostle Paul say that he who speaks in the Holy Spirit, speaks mysteries? Yes, he did. It has occurred many times to me.

Years ago, I began saying, “Theoretically it would be possible to build a dome that would cover an entire hemisphere of the earth without any supporting columns, if you had a strong foundation that encircled the equator. Later I began hearing about and reading about a concept introduced by Buckminster Fuller, about 1948, called the geodesic dome. As soon as I saw one, I realized that this was a physical expression of the spiritual law that would enable all Believers to be related to all the members of the world-wide Ekklesia, apart from any doctrinal or denominational ties. This was exciting and encouraging to me, because in my preparation to exit the Assemblies of God churches, Holy Spirit had explicitly instructed me to not join any man-controlled religious system, no matter how attractive it would be. Also, I was instructed to never organize something others could join. Additionally, I was told to never establish a litmus test of doctrines by which I would relate to others.

Once I understood the geodesic dome and transferred that concept from the physical to the spiritual, I immediately understood how Believers throughout the earth can be spiritually one with all other Believers.

Later, I came to “see” that the dome conforms to the principle found in all of Yahweh’s plans for man: the beginning and the ending are always the same.

Some polygons used to constitute a dome are triangular, such as the dome at Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort in central Florida. Some domes such as you see in some soccer balls are a combination of two different polygons, e.g., triangles and hexagons (six sides).

My understanding of the geodesic dome as it pertains to the unity of all Believers is that each polygon, no matter its shape, represents one family of Believers. I believe that a group of five-fold ministers whose association with one another revolves around an apostle or around an apostle and a prophet who are joined together by Holy Spirit for a common purpose, constitutes a family–the family being Yahweh’s basic unit for all human activities and interaction with other families.

Yahweh’s order has been, is, and shall be generational in nature: fathers produce sons and daughters, constituting a family. Through extension by marriage, many families make a tribe. Many tribes make a Holy Nation.

As I presently understand this matter, I, as a founding father, along with those “sons” now joined to me by the Spirit and not by obligation, constitute a clan. In the process of walking this out, I meet and am joined to the fathers of other clans, thus we together become a Holy Nation. In time, the processing of Holy Spirit will join these spiritual nations together so that the promise of the knowledge of Yahweh’s glory filling the earth, shall be fulfilled!

Religion cannot prevent this promise from being fulfilled, though it may hinder. If men become impatient and seek to legislate this fusion of the many into one, that will hinder. If men, called, gifted and anointed to step into their roles as apostles, refuse to do so, that will hinder, but it cannot prevent what is to be. If we become impatient and attempt to bring these various units into a communion other than that which is fostered by Holy Spirit, that will hinder, but not prevent.

Ultimately, Holy Spirit will have His way; that which He has given to Yahweh’s holy apostles and prophets to speak, shall come to reality. Men will no longer be peering through a glass darkly nor will their ears not hear what Holy Spirit is speaking; we shall all be without excuse.

We may choose to be in line with this great move of Holy Spirit or not, but either with us or without us, the Kingdom of Christ will appear in the earth and His will shall be done.

Amen.

Nolan Ball, Apostle

2011

Excerpt from “The Kingdom” by Apostle F. Nolan Ball

Posted on by F. Nolan Ball

As a very young boy, I began to be conscious of God, though at that time I had little, if any, understanding of what that meant. But, even at that age I knew (though I would never have revealed it to anyone) that in some way I would serve God. Shortly after my seventeenth birthday, I knew that I would be a preacher, whatever that meant.

Along the way, I encountered a few people who were manifesting something, or rather someone (Holy Spirit) by speaking in “tongues.” That experience left me with a deep impression that this thing of “knowing God” was much beyond anything I had experienced. Though that experience was frightening to me, I knew that it was genuine and in my mind I knew that I would never settle for anything else.

It would be more than seven years between that experience and my coming to Christ. During those seven years, I packed in a lot of maturing: four years in the U.S. Air Force; meeting, courting and marrying Shirley–the love of my life; becoming employed in a newly developing realm of finance–consumer finance. All of that will cause a young man to mature quickly.

After our marriage in August 1951, Shirley and I lived in southeast Washington D.C., near my station at U.S.A.F. Headquarters, Bolling Air Force Base. Upon getting my discharge and taking employment in Alexandria, Virginia, we moved there. While there, we visited two or three Methodist churches. In 1953, we moved to Mobile, Alabama, near my family, a move we quickly aborted and returned to Arlington, Virginia, in late summer of 1953.

In late September of 1953, we attended Full Gospel Tabernacle (First Assembly of God) in Alexandria. It was there that Shirley and I committed ourselves to Christ on October 10, 1953. The people of Full Gospel Tabernacle were very friendly and gracious, enveloping us into the life that was so evident in them. We were instructed to seek for Holy Spirit, which we did. Shortly afterward, we were baptized into Holy Spirit, evidenced by speaking in tongues, though only a little.

Our experience seemed to satisfy them and seemed to qualified us for being one of them. So we moved comfortably into the life of the congregation. But, while it seemed that the people were satisfied with our progress, Holy Spirit did not agree and there began to develop within me a desire for more–although what, I did not know. Had I been asked, “Have you been baptized with Holy Spirit?” I would have responded, “Yes.” But that was based more on what the people had told us than what we knew within ourselves. That changed on a fateful Sunday night in November 1953 when I stepped into a dimension of Holy Spirit that can never be defined by words, even by those who have experienced this “Baptism of Fire.”

I wish that I could say that after that experience my life has been one of only ascending higher and higher into Yahweh’s glory, but something that can best be defined as “religion” got in my way. Rather than trusting and allowing Holy Spirit to begin to change me from within, with all sincerity on my part as well as on the part of those endeavoring to instruct me more perfectly in the ways of Holy Spirit, I started down a long, never-ending, twisting path from which few ever escape. I call it “religion.”

The call to ministry which I had received at seventeen began stirring within me and I began inquiring about what steps I should take. It seemed that the best thing for me to do was to enroll in a Bible college, but not just any Bible college; it had to be Assembly of God since I was going to be a minister in that denomination.

I was told of two colleges, one in Pennsylvania and one in Lakeland, Florida. Having no desire to live north of Virginia and having grown up not far from Lakeland, I chose Lakeland. So, in August 1954, Shirley and I, along with Donna Kay, our first child (born February 2, 1954) moved from Arlington, Virginia, to Lakeland, Florida, a trip perhaps more like the one depicted in the movie, “Grapes of Wrath,” than the move Jed Clampett and his kin made to Beverly Hills.

We moved into government housing along with other “pore” folks, paying $13.00 a month rent. I enrolled in Southeastern Bible College and got a night job at Orange State Processing Company. From that time until arriving in Panama City in 1969, I never had less than two full-time jobs. A glutton for work, in January 1957, I began pastoring Northside Assembly in Lakeland. So for two and a half years, I had three full-time jobs. From August 1959 until June 1969, I continued to hold more than one job, along with growing our family to six of us.

While going through some of the most challenging times of our lives, it was in 1968 in Tallahassee that the most important event, other than my salvation, took place. It was then and there that my Heavenly Father began to instruct me in the possibility and necessity of praying almost exclusively in tongues. There probably were other individuals who were of that “school,” but I did not know of even one. From that time to this, my life can best be described as “from glory to glory, from faith to faith, from revelation to revelation.” The day that I began to know Holy Spirit as the Revelator of truth was and remains second in importance to no other day in my life.

Without the revelation of praying in the Spirit, there is no way I could have survived either the spiritual or the physical attacks leveled against me in the last forty-four years. To Yahweh, I ascribe all honor and glory. Truly He is doing great things in me, that I might do great things in the earth.

The years of 2009 and 2010 were certainly trying, as so much of that time my physical life was being held in the balance. But, today I am well and more excited about where I am and where I am being led than at any other time.

The year leading up to the celebration of the fortieth anniversary of our coming to what at that time (June 1969) was known as Dirego Park Assembly of God, was a year of dichotomies for me: some things were working strongly for us and at the same time, other things were working against us. In the spirit, things were looking great, while in the natural, darkness was working hard to overcome the light. While much of the time I was being beset with life-threatening issues, I was never more alive in my spirit than I was at that time. At some point during that time period, Holy Spirit began to show me some critical mistakes made by the very apostles whom Yahshua appointed and “deputized” to not only continue the ministry He had begun, but to use it as a launching station to go beyond.

 

“The works that I have done, you shall do and greater works than these shall you do.”

Dreams – Apostle F. Nolan Ball

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“Lay down your dream and take up Yahweh’s.” – Apostle F. Nolan Ball

 

I think the great shame, the great reproach upon us, is that we do not ask abundantly. We do not ask in an exaggerated way. Yahweh is wanting to do more. He is wanting to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we can ask or think. So if we can think it, it is not too much. If we can dream it, it is not too much. Not many of us are in danger of overstepping the bounds by asking Yahweh for too much. Most of us are not pushing the limits.

 Every Believer, every inventor, every visionary can testify that you do not ever move into the realization of your vision without difficulty. Every prophetic word of Yahweh has to be conceived by a man or a woman in that person’s spirit before it can be brought from the spirit realm into the natural realm.

The long journey toward the realization of our dreams and the attainment of our goals can cause us to become discouraged with our hands hanging limply and our feet straying from the straight path, unless we occasionally pause long enough to look back and see that we have already come a long way and have already won many victories.

Keep on talking. Keep on walking. The dream is bigger than you can understand. The vision may be yet for an appointed time. But if you keep on walking, you are going to wind up in the right place, and you are going to be right on time.

I do not believe you can fulfill the dreams and the visions that Yahweh births in your heart without accusations. Joseph was not the last one to hear a sarcastic, “Here comes the dreamer,” nor was David the last to hear, “What does a shepherd boy know about fighting giants?”

When you begin to talk about your dreams, and the anointing becomes evident on you, you will become a threat to those who have the position to which you are called. No dream will ever become a reality until you are willing to put it on the line. Until you are willing to declare out of your own mouth what you intend to do and be, you will never move toward the fulfillment of it.

When you dare to put the dream of your spirit into words that can be heard and interpreted (or misinterpreted) by other people, then Yahweh will begin the formation and the realization of your dream. You must be willing to take a stand against Mama and Daddy, against brother and sister —against whomever— if you are going to realize the dream Yahweh put into your heart. Your fiercest enemy may very well be those of your own house. Those who know you best (after the flesh) will probably be the ones who understand you the least.

A dream unfulfilled becomes a mockery.

Like it or not, we all must face the reality that there are some dreams we will never see fulfilled, and in the Heavenly Father’s wisdom He never intended that we would fulfill all of the dreams that we have. Some of our dreams must, of necessity, belong to our children and our children’s children. Yahweh is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Joseph was able to interpret other people’s dreams and visions because he had learned by Holy Spirit to interpret and realize the dreams and visions of his own heart. Do not tell your dreams and visions to those who are void of Yahweh’s Spirit.

“I will persevere until I hold in my hand the dream I hold in my heart.” – Apostle F. Nolan Ball


Apostle F. Nolan Ball – The Rock of Panama City 46th Anniversary

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We are very blessed here at The Rock of Panama City to celebrate 46 incredible years of ministry. Holy Spirit has guided us through every step of the way and we are so thankful. This is only the beginning…

The Purpose of The Kingdom – Written in 2011 by Apostle F. Nolan Ball

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The term “The Kingdom of God,” is being used more and more among church people, for which I would be rejoicing, except for the fact that I believe most people are doing so because it is the vogue thing to do in this day and time.  While they say “kingdom,” they are visualizing “heaven.”  They use terms that would indicate they are thinking “here and now,” but are actually visualizing “there and then,” as in “won’t it be wonderful there.”

Let me draw some lessons from the just-ended space shuttle program.  NASA’s vision was never to change the government nor the climate of the atmospheric “heaven” it was invading.  From the moment the astronauts were strapped in their shuttle, they were committed to invading a hostile environment, but their mission was never for the purpose of changing that environment.  Their purpose was to learn from that environment and prove that man can live in and even prosper in a deadly and hostile environment, but only if he is encapsulated in an “earth suit” and connected to the vitals, such as oxygen, water and food, which can only be provided by earth.  Also, the pressure around his body must be maintained at the same pressure as what he experiences when living on the earth, in his earth suit.  We are, after all, “…of the earth, earthy.”

The vision of NASA was never that of subduing space and imposing earth’s government upon it.  The goal was how to invade what to man is a deadly environment, learn from it, and return safely to earth, which is his natural environment and from which he needs no special protection.

Now, let’s look at and consider carefully our assignment as it was given by Yahshua.

There was nothing about Yahshua’s preaching that was ambiguous, from the very beginning it was clear; He came preaching the gospel of the Kingdom and made very clear that His Kingdom is not of this world when He said,  “…pray, ‘Thy Kingdom (Yahweh’s Kingdom) come, Thy will be done as it is in heaven (spirit realm),’” so let it be done in the earth.

The purpose of the Kingdom is not to displace the kingdoms of this world, i.e., the Babylonian system, but to (by Holy Spirit) establish Yahweh’s Kingdom for the purpose of giving people an option.  Men talk of the church as though  it  is the Kingdom of God.  Not so.  The word “church” in no way captures and expresses the picture Yahshua had in His mind, when He said, “I will build….”

None of the teachings and discourses of Yahshua that are recorded in Scripture, make any practical sense, if they are not set in the context of “Kingdom” thought.  For instance, why would we need to be “wise as serpents and harmless as doves,” if we were not establishing another government, an alien government, complete with its own officers, its own culture, etc., in the same area and among the same people?

We have a lot of hard work ahead of us.  First, we must dismantle the old system and totally remove it.  Nothing of the old will fit into the new; it has no redeeming qualities.  For this to take place under the all-seeing eye of the present Babylonian systems, it must first be done in, of, and by the power of Holy Spirit.  The physical must never precede the spiritual.  The tendency of those who follow the pioneers is to focus on the physical expression of the anointing, rather than discerning the Spirit of Christ or the anointing from which the physical originated.

Through we try, we cannot measure the anointing; it cannot be weighed, measured or assayed by any means known to man.  But, the result of the applied anointing can be measured, so that is what we do.  How many, how much, how long, how traumatic, etc., those are how the results of the applied power of the anointing are reported to following generations.  So, because the focus of the natural man is almost always on that which can be measured and recorded, then the following generation of leadership endeavors to reproduce the same or larger measurements, little attention is given to the spiritual–the anointing–by succeeding leadership, little place is given to the anointing by which the beginning began.  And so, the cycle begins again: prophet, priest, scribe, educator.

I cannot recall one church growth conference that focused on the anointing; they are all about the results.

I remind us all, Yahshua never left us a plan, nor a program.  He sent us the Person of Holy Spirit, with the promise that when we receive Him and submit ourselves to Him, we shall be endued with power.  Miracles, healings, signs and wonders, are all expressions of power.  But, so are: discernment, a word of wisdom, a word of knowledge, a word of prophecy, the casting out of demons, and on and on.  Let us follow hard after the “Sent One,” rather than the “Sender.”