Restoring the Fallen:
The Evidence Of Grace
~Danny Steyne~
"Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted." (Galatians 6:1)
I watched him stumble. I watched the church quickly jump into action. "Accountability!" they cried, and then set up a system of hoops, hurdles and hoolas for the servant to perform. Whether or not the hoops, hurdles and hoolas were doing anything directly to bring about restoration was inconsequential. The fact that something was being done, was sufficient to keep the servant out of the limelight long enough to prevent them from being associated with the church that embraced him.
The word "restoration" has been thrown around the church for many years. I've watched, seen some good restorations, but mostly bad ones. Magazines, authors, TV shows, and tabloids continue to exploit failures long after the servant is gone. The servants of yesterday who failed miserably during their lives carry the darkness of their blemished lives well into the history books, without regard for the blessings and countless lives that were transformed through them while they lived. The malice of this behavior is abhorrent to God who is not looking for earthly advisors to increase punishment when He has increased grace! (Read Matthew 18:22-35) Jesus tells us that the ones who are "blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy". (Matthew 5:7) Paul writes that he was an example of the most hideous sinner, in order to display the unlimited patience of Christ Jesus! (1 Timothy 1:16)
Failure is history's school teacher for generations to come. It stands alone as the "principals office" as an example to those who walk naively by. I remember once in primary school in South Africa receiving two "cuts" (spankings) as they called them. It was with a bamboo switch and it helped me very quickly come to the decision that I would never get another one. I was made to sit in front of the principals office for what felt like hours, while everyone walked by, knowing I was about to enter a painful discipline process. My behavior was modified. I never endured that situation again! I failed. Others saw that I failed. They knew I was disciplined. But that was the end of it!
If restoration is truly from God, then the failures of the past are swept beneath the blood of Jesus too, and if we are walking beneath that blood, we too, must function as Our Father and forgive and move on! Restoration only occurs when we forgive.. and move on!
When we are invited into the process of restoration, it is to restore a brother or sister to the place destined for them by God who is STILL their Father! We are invited into that process with the caution to be careful. Be careful of falling as they have fallen and be careful of judging beyond the atmosphere of grace.
Paul deals with the this subject specifically when a man is caught and continues in the sin of adultery in the Corinthian Church. He administers the rod of correction when he tells the church to "turn him over to satan!" (1 Corinthians 5:5). Evidently the discipline worked and the man repented. But the church continued on in their discipline. They disciplined beyond grace. They went from discipline to punishment and from punishment to banishment and rejection. The didn't understand the restoration process was to restore the man to his function and calling in God. They operated under law. Law always produces a legal spirit that demands, extracts, and extorts more than what is required. The man was defiled and they didn't want to be associated with him anymore!
Paul writes to forgive and comfort the man so that he won't become discouraged anymore. He must again experience the LOVE of Christ. He must be embraced again or who knows what will happen to him! The schemes of the enemy are to produce self-righteousness in those who are trying to walk purely, and devastation for those who are trying to walk righteously. On either account. Grace is removed, and law prevails! We must not be outwitted. We must prevail.
(2 Corinthians 2:4-11) For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you. If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you, to some extent--not to put it too severely. The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. The reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven--if there was anything to forgive--I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
Time fails me to share about Peter who was restored fully after a bold, public, rejection of Jesus. The failure simply demonstrated that God invades humans who are frail. Peter's life reflected failure, but his life also, and more predominantly, reflected brilliant obedience that resulted in his ultimate martyrdom for Jesus! Or Elijah, who failed miserably and ended his days outside of the treasured promised land for disobedience in not anointing the two kings God told him to, and wallowing in self-pity. (1 Kings 19:15-16) I could also bring up Moses, who failed horribly during his life. He too, was prevented access to die in the treasured Promised Land. (Numbers 20:11-12) "Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 'Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.' " Interestingly, because of Grace brought by Jesus, both of these Old Testament examples were restored to the full Promises of God when Jesus invited them to the Mount of Transfiguration!
In October 2005, I had a lengthy visitation with Jesus that indicated a "Restoration" among the prodigals would begin after a restoration took place in my own home. On February 2, 2006, my daughters who have been abducted over six years prior were returned to me. They are home, and are thriving in His Presence today! I received emails and letters from around the world indicating that the restoration of my daughters was a prophetic sign to many. They didn't realize Jesus had spoken that to me specifically. I knew in general that there would begin a restoration with children of those who love God, but I also knew that there would be a massive release of restoration upon those who had failed miserably in years past; those who were now simply sitting on shelves and collecting dust would be restored! I saw Fathers, Mothers, Sons, and Daughters of the King waiting on a bench for those who were playing the game to invite them back into the game. I knew that many of them were far better players with greater skills, but they had been sidelined and they simply waited. I knew that some died while they were waiting, knowing that the Father had laid hands on them, but they were discouraged to the point of excessive sorrow. They couldn't measure up to those who could invite them back into the game, and so in mercy God allowed them to come home!
Samson failed miserably. He had his very eyes taken from him. His future vision was removed. But where were the rescuers who would go and restore him rather than leaving him to grind grain with animals? He was a powerful servant of the Lord. He fulfilled the office God called him to, but the people of God were not included in that victory because they left him to fend for himself. Where were the mighty men of Israel in that day?
It is easy to remember what once was? It is easy to remember failures in each other. Even a simple Egyptian can do that. Moses had plenty of those reminders in his life. (Exodus 2:14) The man said, "Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid and thought, "What I did must have become known."
Knowing the past about a person doesn't make us prophetic... calling them into their future does! The question has never been, can we read the history of a man. The question has always been, can we restore the future of a man! Anyone can read the history of the man but the Heart of the Father is to release the unfulfilled destiny of His broken Children.
The Father is calling in the fallen. Come off the bench! Come out and play! Come and release what God intended for you from the foundation of the earth!
August 23, 2007
Pursuing His Wonderful Grace!
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Peace Pt. 2 - Addendum to the David Knowing
Hey folks, thanks for the encouragement regarding the "Peace" article. It's actually an addendum to the "David Knowing" blurb. I want to re-emphasize the point any way I can because I'm so sure - so impressed with the urgency/importance of being "Confident in Love" - i.e., God's. It's not just a good idea. Please go after it hard while you are NOT being shaken. There's a position of rest that can only be found in the confident "knowing" of God's Character. Now is the time to cultivate that. It is the oil of intimacy for the five wise virgins.
Can I take another shot at driving this point home from a different angle?
When Patti's sister was in trouble this last winter, the word we received in prayer was "Do not rely upon what you think or see, but upon what you know about Me." I've heard that echoed over and over again since then. I know that this position is challenging to lean into. I'm not minimizing it at all. I just know it must be contended for.
When I was little, I was held captive by Fears with a big, big F. They included: bees and wasps, spiders, dark rooms, life, death, the supernatural, poverty, loneliness, abandonment, rejection, school, tomatoes . . .
Do you know - It has been a lifetime of mostly failures in the arena of fear and then, eventually, a small, but victorious moment in Christ that has tutored me the most about the authority of peace (based upon reliance on the character of God) that I actually own as part of my inheritance. (I'm still walking this "knowing" out, so don't let the following illustration give you some sort of false notion that I'm holding up my conquests as the happy ending.)
When I was around 8 years old, I remember walking home for dinner one evening and as I approached our house there was a swarm of Carpenter Bees flying around the front door. They were carving out a home for themselves right over the entrance to the house. I was petrified.
I stood at the end of the driveway staring at the swarm for what seemed like forever. I actually was aware of the sun setting slowly and it grew darker while I stood paralyzed. I just could not figure out how to get past them. I was so afraid, I couldn't actually yell for help.
What was worse was the thought that no one apparently was aware of my plight and because no one in the house came looking for me – I assumed that no one cared about my circumstances. As I stared at the front door, I could see “safety” but had no way of accessing it. I prayed for a miracle – for someone to come to my rescue - but it seemed that there was no answer.
Eventually, and I mean what seemed like forever, someone (I think it was my Mom or Grandmother) noticed that I was still missing and opened the door. When the door opened, most of the bees flew away and I made a mad dash for safety. I was chided for my fear and because of the imprint of the experience, I made some dangerous assessments. 1.) No one understood me or how paralyzing my fear was and 2.) I ultimately couldn't rely on anyone, including God, to rescue me.
It was a lie I bought into because it had the weight of a twist on the experience to uphold it.
The truth of the matter though was that God answered my prayer for help and my Mom couldn't have been more than a few minutes behind the prayer, but my fears were exploited and as a result, exaggerated for years afterward.
It wasn't until my 30s, when I lived alone as an adult that I really had to work through victory in this arena. There were spiders appearing over and over again on my ceiling and wasps were finding their way in to my apartment. It was either "face my fear" and kill them or be bitten/stung. Not the end of the world, but still - it was an unpleasant thought.
So, I took a chance on God again and looked to Him in what I was sure was a really ridiculous circumstance – or so I thought.
He came through in a way that was different than I had hoped for though. Somehow, I hoped that He would just make them disappear or that in His Name I could just command them to leave and they would obey.
Instead, the Lord began to talk to me . . . about who He was; how good and strong He was on my behalf and who I am because He is so, so, FOR me. He stirred up reliance in my heart regarding how much He loves me (something I still struggle with) and asserted that circumstances don't negate that. He wanted to show me that the truth of who He is juxtaposed against my circumstances would be the vanguard to my safety. Then, He brought to mind a memory that I cherish. . . .
It was of me as a little girl - sitting on my grandfather's lap while he reclined in his chair in the Living Room. He had a sweet, cushy belly that made a great pillow and I had nestled up against him and laid my head on his chest while he wrapped his arm around me.
I remembered that I could hear his heart beat and the rhythm of his breathing above all other sounds. It was intoxicating.
I had closed my eyes and pretended that I was asleep because I wanted to stay there for as long as I could. I was sure it was the safest place in the Universe.
Looking back, I think my grandfather knew I wasn't asleep but liked the love and intimacy as well. The memory makes me weepy to this day.
I was so confident and at peace at that particular moment because I knew that no matter what else came our way - I was loved by him. For a few moments, while I sat on his lap and rested - I had no fear.
As the memory came to an end, I knew that my Dad in Heaven was the archetype for that moment and He wanted that peace for me. In the confidence of the fullest expression of His Love - Jesus - He had provided a way for me to have victory over my fears.
However, I still had to walk it out. I had to exercise what I knew was the truth about Him and my ultimate safety in Him - regardless of what might happen to my body. I had to pit the "knowing" that God lives in me, cares for me, empowers me and loves me over and against my fear of pain.
As I took the first steps toward a shoe, I exercised faith and held onto hope that He might be telling me the truth – that I was huge compared to the wasps and spiders and that He was infinitely bigger than all of us and that He, not the insects, had ordained my days.
So, I exercised dominion. I began the methodical conquest of every foul creature that entered my living quarters. With each splat, I gained confidence in the word of the Lord and my “ginormity” (my favorite new word) because of Him. (His gentleness has made me great. Ps. 18)
My confidence in Him; in the truth that HE is my confidence and safety grew and began to chase away fears.
(Now, to you that may have been a small issue - for me, it was a bear. I still had to face lions and giants though.)
I've been bitten by spiders and stung by wasps since then (and have discovered that I'm actually allergic so that adds an additional element of risk) but I no longer am paralyzed by that particular fear. Now, whenever I am faced with insects in my living quarters, I have an unusual peace, although I’m still challenged to embrace fear.
I still must lean on the truth and my past victories before I can warn them that they must leave or die. Sometimes they obey and leave, but most of the time they end up flushed down the toilet.
Compared to other circumstances, I know that this is a cheesy illustration, but it is the same approach I've had to walk through with the Lord time and time again over much more serious challenges. I still - constantly - have to turn away from fear and lean on what I know about Him. You too I bet.
But . . . I get better at it each time I move from the acquiescence of thought to leaning upon what I know of Him and then actually exercising my will in the arena of my fears and circumstances.
I know that it’s hardest to maintain my confidence when “I get stung” even after exercising faith. But it is THEN that I have a choice to “lean not on my own understanding.” (Proverbs 3) It is THEN that I can lean on what I know of God and His posture toward me and my circumstances. It is THEN that Psalm 18 must come to life. It is THEN, that I have an offering of worship built upon faith. And it is only THEN, that I can kiss Him with my “knowing” regardless of the circumstances around me . . . even if it costs me big.
However, it is THEN that I find my safety and my holiness in the place He has always intended for me . . . upon my “Daddy’s knees” – leaning in rest upon His heart and nestling up in the safest place in the Universe.
It is only then that I realize that He has in fact “enlarged my steps”; that He is in fact My Refuge, and that “His gentleness has made me great.” Psalm 18. (Please, please, please – meditate on this Psalm. It’s an oldie but goody! And, it’s the truth.)
One last note – The other day I woke up to the phrase “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” I realized that He was emphasizing the word “Behold”. It seemed to me that the Lord was saying “Look at Me. Meditate on Me – upon My character, My heart, the Truth. If I take away the sin of the world, what does that say about Me? What else do I take away? . . . and remember, if you have seen Me, you have seen the Father.”
He was once again saying – “It is time for standing in the David knowing.”
“Be still and KNOW that I AM GOD.”
Just a side note that I forgot to add - two days ago, I was sitting on
the porch talking to God and realized that there were carpenter bees
and wasps hanging around. I hardly even noticed them . . .
.
Can I take another shot at driving this point home from a different angle?
When Patti's sister was in trouble this last winter, the word we received in prayer was "Do not rely upon what you think or see, but upon what you know about Me." I've heard that echoed over and over again since then. I know that this position is challenging to lean into. I'm not minimizing it at all. I just know it must be contended for.
When I was little, I was held captive by Fears with a big, big F. They included: bees and wasps, spiders, dark rooms, life, death, the supernatural, poverty, loneliness, abandonment, rejection, school, tomatoes . . .
Do you know - It has been a lifetime of mostly failures in the arena of fear and then, eventually, a small, but victorious moment in Christ that has tutored me the most about the authority of peace (based upon reliance on the character of God) that I actually own as part of my inheritance. (I'm still walking this "knowing" out, so don't let the following illustration give you some sort of false notion that I'm holding up my conquests as the happy ending.)
When I was around 8 years old, I remember walking home for dinner one evening and as I approached our house there was a swarm of Carpenter Bees flying around the front door. They were carving out a home for themselves right over the entrance to the house. I was petrified.
I stood at the end of the driveway staring at the swarm for what seemed like forever. I actually was aware of the sun setting slowly and it grew darker while I stood paralyzed. I just could not figure out how to get past them. I was so afraid, I couldn't actually yell for help.
What was worse was the thought that no one apparently was aware of my plight and because no one in the house came looking for me – I assumed that no one cared about my circumstances. As I stared at the front door, I could see “safety” but had no way of accessing it. I prayed for a miracle – for someone to come to my rescue - but it seemed that there was no answer.
Eventually, and I mean what seemed like forever, someone (I think it was my Mom or Grandmother) noticed that I was still missing and opened the door. When the door opened, most of the bees flew away and I made a mad dash for safety. I was chided for my fear and because of the imprint of the experience, I made some dangerous assessments. 1.) No one understood me or how paralyzing my fear was and 2.) I ultimately couldn't rely on anyone, including God, to rescue me.
It was a lie I bought into because it had the weight of a twist on the experience to uphold it.
The truth of the matter though was that God answered my prayer for help and my Mom couldn't have been more than a few minutes behind the prayer, but my fears were exploited and as a result, exaggerated for years afterward.
It wasn't until my 30s, when I lived alone as an adult that I really had to work through victory in this arena. There were spiders appearing over and over again on my ceiling and wasps were finding their way in to my apartment. It was either "face my fear" and kill them or be bitten/stung. Not the end of the world, but still - it was an unpleasant thought.
So, I took a chance on God again and looked to Him in what I was sure was a really ridiculous circumstance – or so I thought.
He came through in a way that was different than I had hoped for though. Somehow, I hoped that He would just make them disappear or that in His Name I could just command them to leave and they would obey.
Instead, the Lord began to talk to me . . . about who He was; how good and strong He was on my behalf and who I am because He is so, so, FOR me. He stirred up reliance in my heart regarding how much He loves me (something I still struggle with) and asserted that circumstances don't negate that. He wanted to show me that the truth of who He is juxtaposed against my circumstances would be the vanguard to my safety. Then, He brought to mind a memory that I cherish. . . .
It was of me as a little girl - sitting on my grandfather's lap while he reclined in his chair in the Living Room. He had a sweet, cushy belly that made a great pillow and I had nestled up against him and laid my head on his chest while he wrapped his arm around me.
I remembered that I could hear his heart beat and the rhythm of his breathing above all other sounds. It was intoxicating.
I had closed my eyes and pretended that I was asleep because I wanted to stay there for as long as I could. I was sure it was the safest place in the Universe.
Looking back, I think my grandfather knew I wasn't asleep but liked the love and intimacy as well. The memory makes me weepy to this day.
I was so confident and at peace at that particular moment because I knew that no matter what else came our way - I was loved by him. For a few moments, while I sat on his lap and rested - I had no fear.
As the memory came to an end, I knew that my Dad in Heaven was the archetype for that moment and He wanted that peace for me. In the confidence of the fullest expression of His Love - Jesus - He had provided a way for me to have victory over my fears.
However, I still had to walk it out. I had to exercise what I knew was the truth about Him and my ultimate safety in Him - regardless of what might happen to my body. I had to pit the "knowing" that God lives in me, cares for me, empowers me and loves me over and against my fear of pain.
As I took the first steps toward a shoe, I exercised faith and held onto hope that He might be telling me the truth – that I was huge compared to the wasps and spiders and that He was infinitely bigger than all of us and that He, not the insects, had ordained my days.
So, I exercised dominion. I began the methodical conquest of every foul creature that entered my living quarters. With each splat, I gained confidence in the word of the Lord and my “ginormity” (my favorite new word) because of Him. (His gentleness has made me great. Ps. 18)
My confidence in Him; in the truth that HE is my confidence and safety grew and began to chase away fears.
(Now, to you that may have been a small issue - for me, it was a bear. I still had to face lions and giants though.)
I've been bitten by spiders and stung by wasps since then (and have discovered that I'm actually allergic so that adds an additional element of risk) but I no longer am paralyzed by that particular fear. Now, whenever I am faced with insects in my living quarters, I have an unusual peace, although I’m still challenged to embrace fear.
I still must lean on the truth and my past victories before I can warn them that they must leave or die. Sometimes they obey and leave, but most of the time they end up flushed down the toilet.
Compared to other circumstances, I know that this is a cheesy illustration, but it is the same approach I've had to walk through with the Lord time and time again over much more serious challenges. I still - constantly - have to turn away from fear and lean on what I know about Him. You too I bet.
But . . . I get better at it each time I move from the acquiescence of thought to leaning upon what I know of Him and then actually exercising my will in the arena of my fears and circumstances.
I know that it’s hardest to maintain my confidence when “I get stung” even after exercising faith. But it is THEN that I have a choice to “lean not on my own understanding.” (Proverbs 3) It is THEN that I can lean on what I know of God and His posture toward me and my circumstances. It is THEN that Psalm 18 must come to life. It is THEN, that I have an offering of worship built upon faith. And it is only THEN, that I can kiss Him with my “knowing” regardless of the circumstances around me . . . even if it costs me big.
However, it is THEN that I find my safety and my holiness in the place He has always intended for me . . . upon my “Daddy’s knees” – leaning in rest upon His heart and nestling up in the safest place in the Universe.
It is only then that I realize that He has in fact “enlarged my steps”; that He is in fact My Refuge, and that “His gentleness has made me great.” Psalm 18. (Please, please, please – meditate on this Psalm. It’s an oldie but goody! And, it’s the truth.)
One last note – The other day I woke up to the phrase “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” I realized that He was emphasizing the word “Behold”. It seemed to me that the Lord was saying “Look at Me. Meditate on Me – upon My character, My heart, the Truth. If I take away the sin of the world, what does that say about Me? What else do I take away? . . . and remember, if you have seen Me, you have seen the Father.”
He was once again saying – “It is time for standing in the David knowing.”
“Be still and KNOW that I AM GOD.”
Just a side note that I forgot to add - two days ago, I was sitting on
the porch talking to God and realized that there were carpenter bees
and wasps hanging around. I hardly even noticed them . . .
.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Rule in the Midst of Your Enemies
Rule In The Midst Of Your Enemies!
Francis Frangipane
True peace does not come from extreme indifference, nor does it originate from becoming so "spiritual" that you fail to notice the world around you. Peace is the fruit of being confident in God's love; it is born of the revelation that, regardless of the battle, "greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4). You are not self-assured, you are God-assured.
The God Of Peace Will Crush Satan
To wage effective spiritual warfare, we must understand and use spiritual authority. Spiritual authority, however, is not forcing your will upon another person. When you have spiritual authority, you have established God's peace in an area that once was full of conflict and oppression. Therefore, to truly be able to move in authority, we must first have peace.
The apostle Paul taught, "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet" (Rom. 16:20). When we maintain peace during warfare, it is a crushing deathblow to satanic oppression and fear. Our victory never comes from our emotions or our intellect. Our victory comes by refusing to judge by what our eyes see or our ears hear and by trusting that what God has promised will come to pass.
We will never know Christ's victory in its fullness until we stop reacting humanly to our circumstances. When you truly have authority over something you can look at that thing without worry, fear or intimidation. Your peace is the proof of your victory. Jesus' authority over the violent storm (see Matthew 8:23-27) was the exercise and expansion of His peace over the elements. He did not fight against the storm, nor did He fear it. He faced its fury and subdued it with His authority in perfect peace. In Pilate's court, in a world stirred to an emotional frenzy by the powers of hell, a holy tranquility surrounded Christ---peace that was born out of His resolve to do God's will no matter what the cost. His Spirit emanated a calm that perfectly represented the peace at God's throne. In a matter of moments it was no longer Jesus who was on trial, but Satan, Pilate and the religious establishment in Israel.
Satan's arsenal consists of such things as fear, worry, doubt and self-pity. Every one of these weapons robs us of peace and leaves us troubled inside. Do you want to discern where the enemy is coming against you? In the network of your relationships, wherever you do not have peace, you have war. Conversely, wherever you have peace, you have victory. When Satan hurls his darts against you, the more peace you have during adversity, the more truly you are walking in Christ's victory.
Paul tells us to be "in no way alarmed by your opponents---which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you" (Phil. 1:28). Your peace, your immovable stand upon the Word of God is a sign that you are positioned correctly in focused submission to the will of God. The very fact that you are "in no way alarmed" by your adversary is a sign that you have authority over him.
Peacemakers Are Sons Of God
Peace is spirit power. Peace is an attribute of the Holy Spirit, and when you are walking in peace, you are walking in power. A peacemaker is not merely someone who protests against war; he is one who is inwardly so yielded to Christ in spirit and purpose that he can be called a son of God (see Matthew 5:9). Where he goes, God goes and where God goes, he goes. He is fearless, calm and bold. Peace emanates from him the way light and heat radiate from fire.
In the battles of life, your peace is actually a weapon. Indeed, your confidence declares that you are not falling for the lies of the devil. You see, the first step toward having spiritual authority over the adversary is having peace in spite of our circumstances. When Jesus confronted the devil, He did not confront Satan with His emotions or in fear. Knowing that the devil was a liar, He simply refused to be influenced by any other voice than God's. His peace overwhelmed Satan. His authority then shattered the lie, which sent demons fleeing.
Rest Before Rule
In the 23rd Psalm, David declared, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me" (v. 4). There is a place of walking with God where you simply "fear no evil." During his lifetime, David faced many enemies including a lion, a bear and a giant. In this psalm he stood in the "shadow of death" itself, yet he feared no evil. David's trust was in the Lord. He said, "You are with me." Because God is with you, every adversity you face will unfold in victory as you maintain your faith in God. David continued, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies" (v. 5). The battle you are in will soon become a meal to you, an experience that will nourish and build you up spiritually.
Only God's peace will quell your fleshly reactions in battle. The source of God's peace is God Himself. Indeed, "before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal" (Rev. 4:6). The glass sea is a symbol: there are no ripples, no waves, no anxieties troubling God. The Lord is never worried, never in a hurry nor without an answer. The sea around Him is perfectly still and totally calm. All our victories flow out from being seated here with Him.
God is our Father. The heavenly Jerusalem is our mother, the birthplace of our new nature (see Galatians 4:26). And you, you are a beloved child of God, part of the Father's family and a member of His household (see Ephesians 2:19). You must know by revelation that you are not struggling to get into heaven; rather, you were born there in spiritual rebirth (see John 3:1-8 AMP). Let your heart be settled and positioned correctly in your relationship with the Almighty.
To those who have been born again from above, He says, "Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet" (Ps. 110:1). Before you go into warfare, recognize that it is not you that the devil is afraid of; it is Christ in you! We have been raised up and seated with Christ in heavenly places (see Ephesians 2:6). This is why the Holy Spirit continues to speak to us that worship of God is our first response in battle. Position yourself in the presence of God. Sit, at rest, in the knowledge that Christ has already made your enemies the footstool for your feet. From a position of rest, the Word of the Lord continues, "The Lord will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying, ‘Rule in the midst of Your enemies' " (Ps. 110:2).
Rest precedes rule. Peace precedes power. Do not seek to rule over the devil until you are submitting to God's rule over you. The focal point of all victory comes from seeking God until you find Him, and having found Him, allowing His presence to fill your spirit with His peace. From full assurance at His right hand, as you rest in His victory, so will you rule in the midst of your enemies.
Francis Frangipane
True peace does not come from extreme indifference, nor does it originate from becoming so "spiritual" that you fail to notice the world around you. Peace is the fruit of being confident in God's love; it is born of the revelation that, regardless of the battle, "greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4). You are not self-assured, you are God-assured.
The God Of Peace Will Crush Satan
To wage effective spiritual warfare, we must understand and use spiritual authority. Spiritual authority, however, is not forcing your will upon another person. When you have spiritual authority, you have established God's peace in an area that once was full of conflict and oppression. Therefore, to truly be able to move in authority, we must first have peace.
The apostle Paul taught, "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet" (Rom. 16:20). When we maintain peace during warfare, it is a crushing deathblow to satanic oppression and fear. Our victory never comes from our emotions or our intellect. Our victory comes by refusing to judge by what our eyes see or our ears hear and by trusting that what God has promised will come to pass.
We will never know Christ's victory in its fullness until we stop reacting humanly to our circumstances. When you truly have authority over something you can look at that thing without worry, fear or intimidation. Your peace is the proof of your victory. Jesus' authority over the violent storm (see Matthew 8:23-27) was the exercise and expansion of His peace over the elements. He did not fight against the storm, nor did He fear it. He faced its fury and subdued it with His authority in perfect peace. In Pilate's court, in a world stirred to an emotional frenzy by the powers of hell, a holy tranquility surrounded Christ---peace that was born out of His resolve to do God's will no matter what the cost. His Spirit emanated a calm that perfectly represented the peace at God's throne. In a matter of moments it was no longer Jesus who was on trial, but Satan, Pilate and the religious establishment in Israel.
Satan's arsenal consists of such things as fear, worry, doubt and self-pity. Every one of these weapons robs us of peace and leaves us troubled inside. Do you want to discern where the enemy is coming against you? In the network of your relationships, wherever you do not have peace, you have war. Conversely, wherever you have peace, you have victory. When Satan hurls his darts against you, the more peace you have during adversity, the more truly you are walking in Christ's victory.
Paul tells us to be "in no way alarmed by your opponents---which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you" (Phil. 1:28). Your peace, your immovable stand upon the Word of God is a sign that you are positioned correctly in focused submission to the will of God. The very fact that you are "in no way alarmed" by your adversary is a sign that you have authority over him.
Peacemakers Are Sons Of God
Peace is spirit power. Peace is an attribute of the Holy Spirit, and when you are walking in peace, you are walking in power. A peacemaker is not merely someone who protests against war; he is one who is inwardly so yielded to Christ in spirit and purpose that he can be called a son of God (see Matthew 5:9). Where he goes, God goes and where God goes, he goes. He is fearless, calm and bold. Peace emanates from him the way light and heat radiate from fire.
In the battles of life, your peace is actually a weapon. Indeed, your confidence declares that you are not falling for the lies of the devil. You see, the first step toward having spiritual authority over the adversary is having peace in spite of our circumstances. When Jesus confronted the devil, He did not confront Satan with His emotions or in fear. Knowing that the devil was a liar, He simply refused to be influenced by any other voice than God's. His peace overwhelmed Satan. His authority then shattered the lie, which sent demons fleeing.
Rest Before Rule
In the 23rd Psalm, David declared, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me" (v. 4). There is a place of walking with God where you simply "fear no evil." During his lifetime, David faced many enemies including a lion, a bear and a giant. In this psalm he stood in the "shadow of death" itself, yet he feared no evil. David's trust was in the Lord. He said, "You are with me." Because God is with you, every adversity you face will unfold in victory as you maintain your faith in God. David continued, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies" (v. 5). The battle you are in will soon become a meal to you, an experience that will nourish and build you up spiritually.
Only God's peace will quell your fleshly reactions in battle. The source of God's peace is God Himself. Indeed, "before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal" (Rev. 4:6). The glass sea is a symbol: there are no ripples, no waves, no anxieties troubling God. The Lord is never worried, never in a hurry nor without an answer. The sea around Him is perfectly still and totally calm. All our victories flow out from being seated here with Him.
God is our Father. The heavenly Jerusalem is our mother, the birthplace of our new nature (see Galatians 4:26). And you, you are a beloved child of God, part of the Father's family and a member of His household (see Ephesians 2:19). You must know by revelation that you are not struggling to get into heaven; rather, you were born there in spiritual rebirth (see John 3:1-8 AMP). Let your heart be settled and positioned correctly in your relationship with the Almighty.
To those who have been born again from above, He says, "Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet" (Ps. 110:1). Before you go into warfare, recognize that it is not you that the devil is afraid of; it is Christ in you! We have been raised up and seated with Christ in heavenly places (see Ephesians 2:6). This is why the Holy Spirit continues to speak to us that worship of God is our first response in battle. Position yourself in the presence of God. Sit, at rest, in the knowledge that Christ has already made your enemies the footstool for your feet. From a position of rest, the Word of the Lord continues, "The Lord will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying, ‘Rule in the midst of Your enemies' " (Ps. 110:2).
Rest precedes rule. Peace precedes power. Do not seek to rule over the devil until you are submitting to God's rule over you. The focal point of all victory comes from seeking God until you find Him, and having found Him, allowing His presence to fill your spirit with His peace. From full assurance at His right hand, as you rest in His victory, so will you rule in the midst of your enemies.
Monday, July 16, 2007
The David Knowing
I had a dream the other day that ended with a song being sung to me. The only line that I'm sure I remember and got right was "Is it time for standing in the David knowing?" The implied answer was "yes". Although I'm sure this makes no sense to you, I understood the question.
David was a student of God. He studied His emotions, the things that bring Him pleasure and the things that grieve Him; what moves Him and what motivates Him. He studied God's character and had insight into God's heart. He looked for Him everywhere and IN every thing and was utterly delighted.
David's legacy of greatness is not rooted in his ability as a leader or his prowess as a worshiper and psalmist, or any of the other really wonderful, transparent, broken yet beautiful things about him. His greatness is found in contemplating the immense heart of God and the understanding that His "gentleness" makes us great. Psalm 18:35. David steered his heart to know the Heart of God in the terrifying depth of naked intimacy. He understood something about God's heart that was radically intense and recklessly abandoned and we're still playing catch up to these revelations.
Now why would it be time for standing in the "David knowing"? I think it's because the times are getting shaky and we MUST cultivate an un-offendable heart. We MUST know Him and lean into the truth of who He is and His character or we will be shaken to our core by what we see around us and experience personally and accusation against God and His people will seem plausible; finding a place to root in our hearts. The results of giving way to lies about our Father will be devastating for not just you, but those who you have influence over. However, the results of knowing the true character of our Dad are life and hope.
Can I encourage you to open up the word with a new prayer in your heart? Ask Holy Spirit to show you the Heart of God. Cultivate an understanding of what truly moves Him and ask that He help you develop a reliance upon His character so that when everything else appears to contradict it, you can secure others and help them stand.
I don't think this is just a good idea. I think it's vital and it is part of the oil of intimacy that the five wise virgins had prepared. Ask God what He thinks about this and feel free to interact with me.
David was a student of God. He studied His emotions, the things that bring Him pleasure and the things that grieve Him; what moves Him and what motivates Him. He studied God's character and had insight into God's heart. He looked for Him everywhere and IN every thing and was utterly delighted.
David's legacy of greatness is not rooted in his ability as a leader or his prowess as a worshiper and psalmist, or any of the other really wonderful, transparent, broken yet beautiful things about him. His greatness is found in contemplating the immense heart of God and the understanding that His "gentleness" makes us great. Psalm 18:35. David steered his heart to know the Heart of God in the terrifying depth of naked intimacy. He understood something about God's heart that was radically intense and recklessly abandoned and we're still playing catch up to these revelations.
Now why would it be time for standing in the "David knowing"? I think it's because the times are getting shaky and we MUST cultivate an un-offendable heart. We MUST know Him and lean into the truth of who He is and His character or we will be shaken to our core by what we see around us and experience personally and accusation against God and His people will seem plausible; finding a place to root in our hearts. The results of giving way to lies about our Father will be devastating for not just you, but those who you have influence over. However, the results of knowing the true character of our Dad are life and hope.
Can I encourage you to open up the word with a new prayer in your heart? Ask Holy Spirit to show you the Heart of God. Cultivate an understanding of what truly moves Him and ask that He help you develop a reliance upon His character so that when everything else appears to contradict it, you can secure others and help them stand.
I don't think this is just a good idea. I think it's vital and it is part of the oil of intimacy that the five wise virgins had prepared. Ask God what He thinks about this and feel free to interact with me.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Roadposts
Roadposts:
This Gospel Must Be Preached II
~Danny Steyne~
"Danny, did you see all the signs in that meeting?" The question was rather a unique one, after all He was the One that put them there and the One who pointed them out to my dull mind. It was the next thing that threw me. "Signs are meant to be out in the world, not simply to be the focal point of conferences" Signs are simply "road posts" they are what I said they were signs "pointers!" Sometimes the larger signs are simply those intended to capture our attention to move in a direction because something is about to happen!
Over the past several years there have been many "signs" that have occurred in our meetings. We have had the smells, the clouds, the gold, the rain, the lightning, the wind, fire, angelic visitors, and many of the other signs that seem to be occurring in ever increasing waves across our country. I enjoy it when Heaven dwells on earth. It's wonderful to know that God has been where we are to set up the road posts to get us where we need to go! It's almost like following a trail that He left us through the woods!
When Jesus indicated that signs would accompany those who believed in Him, He wasn't indicating that they would focus on the signs. He was indicating that the Authority that was released through them would carry the numinous of God that would work through touch, atmosphere, sound, or event to demonstrate the Sonship we have in Him. The reason Peter's shadow "worked" and healed people wasn't because he focused on turning his shadow on, but rather he walked as a son before the Father and as a result the overshadowing of the Father worked through him.
If our focus becomes the signs we may miss the main thing that God has for us. The Power of the Gospel to save and to heal. The Power to transform not meetings, but nations with Him. Signs are merely intended to capture the minds of unbelievers and cause them to become believers! When we focus on signs, we have conferences of signposts! All the signs are in the building. God wants the signs in the streets pointing people to the Hope of their calling.
Exodus 33:16 shares a powerful understanding of the place of signs and wonders in a Biblical worldview. "How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?" The key to the Gospel is not the signs, but Him!
Having spent my early years in Africa, it was not uncommon to hear or see signs that were being done by those who didn�t know Jesus. As a young boy I watched men walk across fire, I saw demonic miraculous events. That changes the whole nature of everything if we have to compete by signs we will end up like Moses with the Egyptian sorcerers who replicated many of the same signs. The heart of Moses in Exodus was Lord, we want you, not simply signs!
As Westerners we become enamored with the supernatural. Most Easterners are not so easily affected. One precious servant of Jesus from another part of the world shared with me that supernatural events are a common occurrence in their life, on a daily basis, but the focus is not on the supernatural events, but the demonstration of the Love of Jesus. I am grateful that His Shadow overshadows His People and He Releases His Signs everywhere, but I am more grateful to hear His Voice, see His Face, and have His Presence with me.
Signs don't necessarily come with Love, But Love always comes with signs. Signs that transform people in His image, not sign-seekers. I was shocked about a year ago when I saw a picture with thousands of orbs at the sight of a Hindu festival. I asked the Lord what that was about and He responded to me, "If you look for signs you will see them everywhere, but if you look for me the signs will accompany first and foremost My Presence!" Now let me make it very clear I believe that signs SHOULD ALWAYS accompany His Presence, but they never need to be a focal point of the church. They are simply byproducts of His Presence!
The Gospel that we have been called to preach is one that is powerful. It is not in our picketing, demonstrating, legislating, or moral compassing that a nation will change. It is this Gospel that compels us with love! 2 Corinthians 5:14- "For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died." Nothing is more powerful, nothing more pervasive than a tongue loosed with His Words of deliverance, freedom, healing, and salvation!
If we go simply for signs,we can be deceived. Matthew 24:24 "For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible." If we go for Him, we never will be disappointed!
Signs then are "markings" on the trees: "Jesus has been here". This is the way walk in it as You pursue Him with all your heart! Mark 16:17-18 "And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."
Signs are for unbelievers to turn to Him. Not for saints to have parties over! We are partying around street signs when the King has just simply walked that way down the block! He demonstrates He is on us by these signs, but doesn't leave us to simply hold a sign. . . He wants us to hold Him!
Pursuing yet more of Him!
For Further Study: (Notice that signs are sent to confirm the main thing: HIM!)
(Mark 16:20) Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
(John 2:23) Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name.
(John 3:2-3) He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." 3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
(John 4:47-50) When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death. 48 "Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders," Jesus told him, "you will never believe." 49 The royal official said, "Sir, come down before my child dies." 50 Jesus replied, "You may go. Your son will live." The man took Jesus at his word and departed.
(Acts 2:22) "Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.
(Acts 4:30-31) Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus." 31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
(Acts 5:12-14) The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade. 13 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.
(Acts 8:6-8) When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.
(Acts 14:3) So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders.
(Romans 15:18-19) I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done-- 19 by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.
(1 Corinthians 1:22-24) Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
(1 Corinthians 14:22) Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers.
This Gospel Must Be Preached II
~Danny Steyne~
"Danny, did you see all the signs in that meeting?" The question was rather a unique one, after all He was the One that put them there and the One who pointed them out to my dull mind. It was the next thing that threw me. "Signs are meant to be out in the world, not simply to be the focal point of conferences" Signs are simply "road posts" they are what I said they were signs "pointers!" Sometimes the larger signs are simply those intended to capture our attention to move in a direction because something is about to happen!
Over the past several years there have been many "signs" that have occurred in our meetings. We have had the smells, the clouds, the gold, the rain, the lightning, the wind, fire, angelic visitors, and many of the other signs that seem to be occurring in ever increasing waves across our country. I enjoy it when Heaven dwells on earth. It's wonderful to know that God has been where we are to set up the road posts to get us where we need to go! It's almost like following a trail that He left us through the woods!
When Jesus indicated that signs would accompany those who believed in Him, He wasn't indicating that they would focus on the signs. He was indicating that the Authority that was released through them would carry the numinous of God that would work through touch, atmosphere, sound, or event to demonstrate the Sonship we have in Him. The reason Peter's shadow "worked" and healed people wasn't because he focused on turning his shadow on, but rather he walked as a son before the Father and as a result the overshadowing of the Father worked through him.
If our focus becomes the signs we may miss the main thing that God has for us. The Power of the Gospel to save and to heal. The Power to transform not meetings, but nations with Him. Signs are merely intended to capture the minds of unbelievers and cause them to become believers! When we focus on signs, we have conferences of signposts! All the signs are in the building. God wants the signs in the streets pointing people to the Hope of their calling.
Exodus 33:16 shares a powerful understanding of the place of signs and wonders in a Biblical worldview. "How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?" The key to the Gospel is not the signs, but Him!
Having spent my early years in Africa, it was not uncommon to hear or see signs that were being done by those who didn�t know Jesus. As a young boy I watched men walk across fire, I saw demonic miraculous events. That changes the whole nature of everything if we have to compete by signs we will end up like Moses with the Egyptian sorcerers who replicated many of the same signs. The heart of Moses in Exodus was Lord, we want you, not simply signs!
As Westerners we become enamored with the supernatural. Most Easterners are not so easily affected. One precious servant of Jesus from another part of the world shared with me that supernatural events are a common occurrence in their life, on a daily basis, but the focus is not on the supernatural events, but the demonstration of the Love of Jesus. I am grateful that His Shadow overshadows His People and He Releases His Signs everywhere, but I am more grateful to hear His Voice, see His Face, and have His Presence with me.
Signs don't necessarily come with Love, But Love always comes with signs. Signs that transform people in His image, not sign-seekers. I was shocked about a year ago when I saw a picture with thousands of orbs at the sight of a Hindu festival. I asked the Lord what that was about and He responded to me, "If you look for signs you will see them everywhere, but if you look for me the signs will accompany first and foremost My Presence!" Now let me make it very clear I believe that signs SHOULD ALWAYS accompany His Presence, but they never need to be a focal point of the church. They are simply byproducts of His Presence!
The Gospel that we have been called to preach is one that is powerful. It is not in our picketing, demonstrating, legislating, or moral compassing that a nation will change. It is this Gospel that compels us with love! 2 Corinthians 5:14- "For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died." Nothing is more powerful, nothing more pervasive than a tongue loosed with His Words of deliverance, freedom, healing, and salvation!
If we go simply for signs,we can be deceived. Matthew 24:24 "For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible." If we go for Him, we never will be disappointed!
Signs then are "markings" on the trees: "Jesus has been here". This is the way walk in it as You pursue Him with all your heart! Mark 16:17-18 "And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."
Signs are for unbelievers to turn to Him. Not for saints to have parties over! We are partying around street signs when the King has just simply walked that way down the block! He demonstrates He is on us by these signs, but doesn't leave us to simply hold a sign. . . He wants us to hold Him!
Pursuing yet more of Him!
For Further Study: (Notice that signs are sent to confirm the main thing: HIM!)
(Mark 16:20) Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
(John 2:23) Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name.
(John 3:2-3) He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." 3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
(John 4:47-50) When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death. 48 "Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders," Jesus told him, "you will never believe." 49 The royal official said, "Sir, come down before my child dies." 50 Jesus replied, "You may go. Your son will live." The man took Jesus at his word and departed.
(Acts 2:22) "Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.
(Acts 4:30-31) Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus." 31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
(Acts 5:12-14) The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade. 13 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.
(Acts 8:6-8) When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.
(Acts 14:3) So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders.
(Romans 15:18-19) I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done-- 19 by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.
(1 Corinthians 1:22-24) Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
(1 Corinthians 14:22) Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers.
Monday, July 09, 2007
The Making of a Ministry
July 2, 2007
Francis Frangipane:
"THE MAKING OF A MINISTRY"
"The disciples came to Him, saying, 'The place is desolate, and the time is already past; so send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.' But Jesus said to them, 'They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!' And they said to Him, 'We have here only five loaves and two fish'" (Matthew 14:15-17).
I want to talk about how the Lord raises up a mature man or woman of God--the drives and attitudes that propel a person into a fully committed walk with Jesus Christ. It is essential to realize from the beginning that, when it comes to doing God's will, both the person and God's provision will always seem inadequate. Oh, you will have been prepared, somewhat. You will have studied and prayed, but not enough. You will have faithfully given of your time and finances, but nothing you do will be something you can confidently rely upon. Indeed, when you've done all you could, you will mutter to the Lord your equivalent of the disciples': "We have here only five loaves and two fish."
Yet, to know that you are inadequate is a tremendous advantage in spiritual growth. It is a milestone en route toward true spirituality, which is born of dependency on God, not human self-sufficiency. Once a person knows he is inadequate, he will not waste years discovering it.
Not a day goes by that I am not aware of my inadequacies. Besides struggling with "feelings" of inadequacy, I know I actually am inadequate. I know the very best of my efforts, in and of themselves, are totally insufficient. The moment I think otherwise, I guarantee failure for myself.
While the Lord has many ways to inspire my spiritual growth, the greatest seasons of increase come almost in spite of myself. The process begins with the Lord revealing some task or need that is both absolutely necessary and totally impossible for me to fulfill. My first reaction is to pray, "Lord, raise up someone who'll do the job." But then, when no one else shows up, I realize He wants me to step forward. As I do, I soon hear Him say the words He spoke to His disciples, "You give them something to eat."
Sometimes, I hide in the "familiar" tasks I know I can accomplish, but a time of reckoning comes. It usually is a time of pressure or stress which, beginning with the rediscovery of my frailties, ends with me broken and waiting upon the Lord. It is right here, as I am contemplating the pitifully small "five loaves and two fish" which I am offering Jesus, that He says to my heart, "Bring them here to Me." And here is where the miracle of grace begins. For as I surrender myself afresh into His hands, a new dimension in my walk with God starts to unfold, one of supernatural multiplication.
"He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward Heaven, He blessed the food, and breaking the loaves, He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave to the multitudes, and they all ate and were satisfied" (vs. 19-20).
Whatever you give to Jesus, He will bless and break. A true disciple always carries these two seeming contradictory characteristics. We know His wonderful, undeserved blessing; and, we are broken of pride, self-sufficiency and boasting. He lets us know assuredly that, as Christians, we have one Source for all of our power. The sooner we realize our effectiveness does not originate in us, but in Christ, the quicker we will experience the miracles that He produces. Indeed, when He reveals to us our weaknesses, it is only because He is preparing us to receive more of His power into our lives.
Consider: When Jesus performed the miracle of the loaves and fish, He and His disciples were wearied and needed strength. Added to this came the distressing news that John the Baptist had been beheaded. The Lord was seeking to take His disciples to a place where they could "rest awhile" (Mark 6:31). Yet, great multitudes came, perhaps over twelve thousand men, women and children. It was in this very circumstance of weakness that He performed this great miracle of grace.
As it was with Jesus, so it is with us: It is when we sense our weaknesses most vividly that God can use us most mightily! The Lord will continually present to us tasks that we have never done before. He will require each of us to give our all, even as inadequate as we seem. There will be no "knights in shining armor" in God's kingdom; our armor will have many dings and dents. No perfect Hollywood heroes will ride in to save the day; just wearied saints to look to God and, in weakness, find Christ's strength. This, indeed, is the essence of God's Kingdom: Divine greatness manifest in common people.
In these days ahead, the Lord is going to show you a need that will seem absolutely beyond your ability to perform. Your natural response will be, "I'm just an average person with limited resources. I can't do what He's asked me to do." Yet, if you will be still, you shall soon hear your Master's voice quietly, confidently saying, "Bring the need to Me."
Do as He commands. For as you give the insufficiency of your skills and your pitiful provisions to Him, He will begin to bless and break you, and then miraculously multiply what you give Him. In all my years of ministry, I know of no transforming grace greater than that which comes when, in spite of our inadequacies, we obey God in the face of the impossible.
Francis Frangipane
Ministries of Francis Frangipane
Email: francis1@frangipane.org
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Francis Frangipane:
"THE MAKING OF A MINISTRY"
"The disciples came to Him, saying, 'The place is desolate, and the time is already past; so send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.' But Jesus said to them, 'They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!' And they said to Him, 'We have here only five loaves and two fish'" (Matthew 14:15-17).
I want to talk about how the Lord raises up a mature man or woman of God--the drives and attitudes that propel a person into a fully committed walk with Jesus Christ. It is essential to realize from the beginning that, when it comes to doing God's will, both the person and God's provision will always seem inadequate. Oh, you will have been prepared, somewhat. You will have studied and prayed, but not enough. You will have faithfully given of your time and finances, but nothing you do will be something you can confidently rely upon. Indeed, when you've done all you could, you will mutter to the Lord your equivalent of the disciples': "We have here only five loaves and two fish."
Yet, to know that you are inadequate is a tremendous advantage in spiritual growth. It is a milestone en route toward true spirituality, which is born of dependency on God, not human self-sufficiency. Once a person knows he is inadequate, he will not waste years discovering it.
Not a day goes by that I am not aware of my inadequacies. Besides struggling with "feelings" of inadequacy, I know I actually am inadequate. I know the very best of my efforts, in and of themselves, are totally insufficient. The moment I think otherwise, I guarantee failure for myself.
While the Lord has many ways to inspire my spiritual growth, the greatest seasons of increase come almost in spite of myself. The process begins with the Lord revealing some task or need that is both absolutely necessary and totally impossible for me to fulfill. My first reaction is to pray, "Lord, raise up someone who'll do the job." But then, when no one else shows up, I realize He wants me to step forward. As I do, I soon hear Him say the words He spoke to His disciples, "You give them something to eat."
Sometimes, I hide in the "familiar" tasks I know I can accomplish, but a time of reckoning comes. It usually is a time of pressure or stress which, beginning with the rediscovery of my frailties, ends with me broken and waiting upon the Lord. It is right here, as I am contemplating the pitifully small "five loaves and two fish" which I am offering Jesus, that He says to my heart, "Bring them here to Me." And here is where the miracle of grace begins. For as I surrender myself afresh into His hands, a new dimension in my walk with God starts to unfold, one of supernatural multiplication.
"He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward Heaven, He blessed the food, and breaking the loaves, He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave to the multitudes, and they all ate and were satisfied" (vs. 19-20).
Whatever you give to Jesus, He will bless and break. A true disciple always carries these two seeming contradictory characteristics. We know His wonderful, undeserved blessing; and, we are broken of pride, self-sufficiency and boasting. He lets us know assuredly that, as Christians, we have one Source for all of our power. The sooner we realize our effectiveness does not originate in us, but in Christ, the quicker we will experience the miracles that He produces. Indeed, when He reveals to us our weaknesses, it is only because He is preparing us to receive more of His power into our lives.
Consider: When Jesus performed the miracle of the loaves and fish, He and His disciples were wearied and needed strength. Added to this came the distressing news that John the Baptist had been beheaded. The Lord was seeking to take His disciples to a place where they could "rest awhile" (Mark 6:31). Yet, great multitudes came, perhaps over twelve thousand men, women and children. It was in this very circumstance of weakness that He performed this great miracle of grace.
As it was with Jesus, so it is with us: It is when we sense our weaknesses most vividly that God can use us most mightily! The Lord will continually present to us tasks that we have never done before. He will require each of us to give our all, even as inadequate as we seem. There will be no "knights in shining armor" in God's kingdom; our armor will have many dings and dents. No perfect Hollywood heroes will ride in to save the day; just wearied saints to look to God and, in weakness, find Christ's strength. This, indeed, is the essence of God's Kingdom: Divine greatness manifest in common people.
In these days ahead, the Lord is going to show you a need that will seem absolutely beyond your ability to perform. Your natural response will be, "I'm just an average person with limited resources. I can't do what He's asked me to do." Yet, if you will be still, you shall soon hear your Master's voice quietly, confidently saying, "Bring the need to Me."
Do as He commands. For as you give the insufficiency of your skills and your pitiful provisions to Him, He will begin to bless and break you, and then miraculously multiply what you give Him. In all my years of ministry, I know of no transforming grace greater than that which comes when, in spite of our inadequacies, we obey God in the face of the impossible.
Francis Frangipane
Ministries of Francis Frangipane
Email: francis1@frangipane.org
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Saturday, July 07, 2007
Gatekeepers and Cross Polination
Catherine Brown: Cross-Pollination Vision
THE LORD HOLDS THE WORLD IN HIS HANDS
During a time of prayer, I had a vision in which I saw the Lord Jesus holding a small globe in His hands. As the Lord held the world in His hands, the central axis of the earth opened up, forming two equal halves, and swarms of bees emerged from the centre. Fascinated by what I had just witnessed, I continued to watch the activity of the bees. Half the bees worked on the fields on one side of the axis, whilst the other half worked on the fields on the opposite side.
CROSS-POLLINATE
After spending some time observing the bees working, the Lord gave this instruction: "Cross-pollinate!" In response, the bees began to cross over into other fields. They continued their work of pollination, but this time, they were in different fields and on the other side of the axis of the world from which they had originally been working.
IT IS GOOD
Jesus smiled. He surveyed the work and crossed His arms; still smiling, the Lord said, "It is good." I noticed that the blooms, which were produced as a result of the cross-pollination, were extraordinarily beautiful and unusual in their shape, color, and form. Their fragrance was breathtaking. Isn't it lovely when God engages our senses in a spiritual experience with Him?
SPIRITUAL APPLICATION: MULTIPLY!
To cross-pollinate is to bring two elements (pollen and a flower or plant) together, in order to reproduce a new bloom or fruit. The bee is the means through which the Lord creates these new blooms. The vision speaks of increased fruitfulness in the body of Christ, brought about through the formation of new and unusual alliances inspired by the Holy Spirit. The cross-pollination vision indicates multiplication in the body of Christ as Holy Spirit strengthens existing Godly alliances and brings into being, new and unusual gatekeeper relationships. This will result in a powerful, spiritual shift in the nations to the glory of God, as we learn to co-labor together in innovative and exciting ways.
KINGDOM ALIGNMENT
Ultimately, God's intention is to give His ambassadors access to "gates" of nations to change and affect their destiny and bring them into Kingdom alignment. As Holy Spirit directs the cross-pollination of ministries, giftings, and callings, God will bring us together in unity, love, and servant hood so that He can pour out His Kingdom agendas on the earth, producing fruit to the glory of His name. Unity is God's strategy, and dominion is His goal.Spiritual cross-pollination will result in Kingdom deposits of wisdom, revelation, gifting, and authority being produced and distributed (and/or re-distributed) in different places or in a different manner than we may presently be accustomed to. God may ask us to go to a new place or to new people, either temporarily or permanently, as His ambassadors. He may simply ask us to go and serve another who is laboring in the harvest field. The vision and call to cross-pollinate speak of multiplication of blessing and multiplication of our effectiveness as Christians here on the earth. It is time for the Kingdom to come with great power and signs and wonders. It is a time to love in Christ's agape, and in this way, the multitudes will be won for Jesus.
GATEKEEPERS OF GOD'S PRESENCE
As worshippers, we are all gatekeepers of God's presence. We each have a place where we have been assigned to co-labor with Holy Spirit and each other. We have each been gifted in God's grace with His commission, with His commandments, and with Holy Spirit's gifts and callings. Some are called to be servant-leaders within the five-fold ministry. All are called to be lovers of Jesus and to prefer one another in love.
GATEKEEPERS HAVE INDIVIDUAL SPHERES OF INFLUENCE
In order for the fullness of these new Godly alliances to take place, we must be robed in humility and be willing to be servants of love. Without this virtue, the bride will be ineffective in her ability to communicate, collaborate, and cooperate with Holy Spirit and each other in the dynamic of spiritual cross-pollination.
To the church in Corinth, Paul said this:
"We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. We, however, will not boast beyond our proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us, a field that reaches even to you." -- 2 Corinthians 10:12-13
Paul exhorts us not to boast in our works, but to be humble and Christ-like. Paul loved to glorify Jesus and confined his "boasting" to be about our glorious Savior: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord," (2 Corinthians 10:17). Paul explains that we are each assigned a field in which we labor for God's glory, indicating that there are individual spheres of authority within which we operate. As Kingdom gatekeepers, we are each assigned a particular sphere or area within which we may exert a Godly influence and operate in Christ's authority and compassion. One of the first places we operate as gatekeepers is within our family units.
IDENTIFY AND RECOGNIZE OTHER GATEKEEPERS AND THEIR SPHERE OF INFLUENCE
"We are not going too far in our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as far as you with the gospel of Christ. Neither do we go beyond our limited by boasting of work done by others." -- 2 Corinthians 10:14-15
Paul recognized that others labored for Jesus, and [he] was happy to commend them for their ministry of the Gospel. We must recognize that there are others who labor and witness effectively for Jesus. Once we understand our calling as gatekeepers, and recognize others in their particular sphere of influence as gatekeepers, we can begin to enter into Kingdom alliances that form a corporate expression in this arena. Gatekeepers have spheres of authority in which they operate; the individual gatekeeper has an appointed sphere of authority. This is greatly enhanced when gatekeepers gather together and form a corporate Kingdom expression of gatekeeper authority, wisdom, and revelation.
EXPONENTIAL INCREASE IN CORPORATE GATEKEEPER ANOINTING
"Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand, so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you." -- 2 Corinthians 10:15b-16
There is the potential for an exponential increase of Jesus' Kingdom when individual gatekeepers form divinely inspired alliances. This may be described as a corporate gatekeeper anointing. We are not called to operate in isolation, since the overall work of the Gospel is enhanced with cooperation, mutuality, and preferring one another in love, which leads to Kingdom increase and multiplication.
WHAT IS A GATEKEEPER?
"But the four principal gatekeepers were entrusted with the responsibility for the rooms and treasuries in the house of God. They would spend the night stationed around the house of God, because they had to guard it; and they had charge of the key for opening it each morning." -- 1 Chronicles 9:26b-27
A Kingdom gatekeeper is simply this: a person whom the Lord has entrusted with keys of revelation, wisdom, and authority and walks in intimacy with Jesus. Gatekeepers have guardianship of the treasuries of the house of God. There are many different types of gatekeepers, and each has a particular "field" of influence (as previously mentioned). These include worshipping gatekeepers, community gatekeepers, market place gatekeepers, and apostolic or prophetic gatekeepers, to name a few. Our first ministry, as gatekeepers, is to minister to the Lord.
GATEKEEPERS ARE THOSE WHOM GOD CAN ENTRUST WITH RESPONSIBILITY
"Altogether, those chosen to be gatekeepers at the thresholds numbered 212. They were registered by genealogy in their villages. The gatekeepers had been assigned to their positions of trust by David and Samuel the seer. They and their descendants were in charge of guarding the gates of the house of the Lord -- the house called the Tent." -- 1 Chronicles 9:22-23
PIONEER GATEKEEPERS
Gatekeepers are often pioneers. Two Old Testament examples of pioneer gatekeepers are Joseph and Daniel. Peter may be considered a New Testatment example of an apostolic gatekeeper as he was given keys of revelation, power, and authority:
"And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." -- Matthew 17:18-19
A gatekeeper has revelatory keys to unlock spiritual gates. In order to more fully understand the function of a gatekeeper, it is helpful to consider the purpose of gates.
JESUS IS THE GATE! HE GIVES ACCESS AND GRANTS DOMINION
"Jesus said, 'I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.'" -- John 10:7
The result of passing through the Gate that is Christ is salvation!
GATES ARE A POINT OF ACCESS
"While the gatekeepers are still on duty, have them shut the doors and bar them. Also appoint residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some near their own houses." -- Nehemiah 7:3
In the days of walled cities, gates were of tremendous significance. A gate was a point of access or a place where access was denied to an unwanted intruder or enemy.
GATES ARE PLACES FOR DECISION MAKING
The gateway was a place where the elders of the city met to make decisions and settle disputes. Decisions made at the gates affected the lives and destiny of those under the authority of the elders. Today, as we consider the corporate effects of gatekeepers, it is noteworthy that these will impact on a community, national, international, and global level.
GATES ARE PLACES OF PUBLIC ASSEMBLY
"When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, all the people assembled as one man in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra, the scribe, to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses. . . " -- Esther 8:1
A PLACE OF HOSPITALITY
Any stranger could seek hospitality at the city gates (e.g. Lot at the gate of the city).
A PLACE OF ENEMY ACTIVITY
"During the time Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate, Bighthana and Teresh, two of the king's officers who guarded the doorway, became angry and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes. But Mordecai found out about the plot and told Queen Esther, who in turn reported it to the king, giving credit to Mordecai." -- Esther 2:21-22
Satan recognizes that our homes, communities, cities, and nations are gateways and have the potential for the release of incredible power, either for good or [for] evil. The story of Esther reveals that although the enemy conspired at the gate, God had his man at the gate too, and ultimately, God's Kingdom-agenda prevailed.
A PLACE OF CONVERGENCE/TRANSFORMATION
"When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly. But he went only as far as the king's gate, because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it." -- Esther 4:1-2
Gates were places where lives were touched and changed.
MILITARY AND STRATEGIC SIGNIFICANCE
Gates were the weakest places in the city's defenses. Gates, therefore, had guards to watch over who entered AND who was approaching from far away. If the enemy took the gates, then the rest of the city could easily be taken. God is downloading "military" strategies and forming strategic networks and alliances in order to position the Church to be the soul winner in our cities and nations.
A PLACE OF OBSERVATION
"Then the watchman saw another man running, and he called down to the gatekeeper." -- 2 Samuel 18:26
Gates are places where strategic reconnaissance information is exchanged between the watchmen of a community or nation and the gatekeepers.
A PLACE OF PROTECTION
"The King was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept." -- 2 Samuel 18:33
Spiritual gates that are won for Christ are strongholds of the Lord where we can be hidden from the enemy and find rest for our souls.
A PLACE OF PRAYER AND PROPHETIC REVELATION
"I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts. I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint. [Then the Lord replied,] 'Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.'" -- Habakkuk 2:1-3
A gate is a place of prayer and revelatory impartation. Spiritual gates are where we are given prophetic utterance to proclaim the decrees of the Lord. It is where Holy Spirit brings forth breakthrough, blessing, and victory on the earth.
A PLACE TO MAKE APOSTOLIC OR PROPHETIC PROCLAMATION
"The people of the Lord went down to the city gates. 'Wake up, wake up, Deborah! Wake up, wake up, break out in song! Arise, O Barak! Take your captives, son of Abinoam.'" -- Judges 5:12
Gates are places where spiritual battles can be won or lost. Deborah and Barak, along with all the people, rose up to worship at the city gates.
A PLACE OF WORSHIP
"Those who were musicians, heads of Levite families, stayed in the rooms of the temple and were exempt from other duties because they were responsible for the work day and night." -- 1 Chronicles 9:33
As gatekeepers of God's presence, we are all worshipping gatekeepers. As we praise and worship the Holy One, we change the spiritual atmosphere in our homes, our cities, and our nations.
A PLACE FOR PARTICULAR ACTIVITIES
In Biblical times, gates also had names that described the nature of the part of the city they gave access to.
"By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire. Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate and the King's Pool. . . " -- Nehemiah 2:13-14
GATES HAVE ETERNAL SIGNIFICANCE
Gates are places of spiritual breakthrough! In Hebrews 13:11-4, we read how Jesus suffered outside the city gates in order that we might be forgiven of our sins and have eternal life.
GATEWAYS
Gateways are portals of glory and places of Kingdom convergence. Gateways are places of power encounters.
DEVELOPING A GLOBAL MINDSET
Daniel was the Lord's ambassador; Joseph [was] a pioneer gatekeeper and administrator over Egypt. God wants us to develop a global mindset, particularly as we consider:
THE CORPORATE MARKET PLACE • Business• Government• Technology• Media• Communications
GOD'S AGENDA -- UNITY IS THE STRATEGY; DOMINION IS THE GOAL
As existing Kingdom alliances are strengthened and new gatekeepers alliances are formed, Holy Spirit will enable the Church to identify enemy and world gateway systems and empower us to infiltrate these systems by releasing bypass strategies. Bypass strategies are the means through which God will bypass the agenda of hell and bring to pass His divine will.
STRATEGIC ALLIANCES -- AUTHORITY AND DOMINION
God will enable the Church to identify modern-day Cyrus (Isaiah 45) and Pharaoh type figures. Cyrus was a king (person) in authority in the world system. He was a gatekeeper into the world's resources and seats of authority. God used him to bring restoration and empowerment to his people.
GATES ARE SEATS OF POWER AND HAVE POTENTIAL TO RELEASE KINGDOM RESOURCE
God's intention at the gates is to release: • Worship• Warfare• Wisdom• Warnings• Wonders• Witness
Consider some of the world gateways, as we consider the geopolitical landscape:• United Nations• World Economic Forum -- global gateway organization of Trans National Corporations (TNC's)• Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO's)• World Trade Organization (WTO)• World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF)• International Court of Justice (ICJ)• International Criminal Court (ICC)
KINGDOM ALIGNMENT
God's intention is to give His ambassadors access to gates of nations, to change and affect the destiny of nations and bring them into Kingdom alignment.Be blessed this day as a Gatekeeper of God's presence!
Catherine Brown
One Million Hours of Praise
THE LORD HOLDS THE WORLD IN HIS HANDS
During a time of prayer, I had a vision in which I saw the Lord Jesus holding a small globe in His hands. As the Lord held the world in His hands, the central axis of the earth opened up, forming two equal halves, and swarms of bees emerged from the centre. Fascinated by what I had just witnessed, I continued to watch the activity of the bees. Half the bees worked on the fields on one side of the axis, whilst the other half worked on the fields on the opposite side.
CROSS-POLLINATE
After spending some time observing the bees working, the Lord gave this instruction: "Cross-pollinate!" In response, the bees began to cross over into other fields. They continued their work of pollination, but this time, they were in different fields and on the other side of the axis of the world from which they had originally been working.
IT IS GOOD
Jesus smiled. He surveyed the work and crossed His arms; still smiling, the Lord said, "It is good." I noticed that the blooms, which were produced as a result of the cross-pollination, were extraordinarily beautiful and unusual in their shape, color, and form. Their fragrance was breathtaking. Isn't it lovely when God engages our senses in a spiritual experience with Him?
SPIRITUAL APPLICATION: MULTIPLY!
To cross-pollinate is to bring two elements (pollen and a flower or plant) together, in order to reproduce a new bloom or fruit. The bee is the means through which the Lord creates these new blooms. The vision speaks of increased fruitfulness in the body of Christ, brought about through the formation of new and unusual alliances inspired by the Holy Spirit. The cross-pollination vision indicates multiplication in the body of Christ as Holy Spirit strengthens existing Godly alliances and brings into being, new and unusual gatekeeper relationships. This will result in a powerful, spiritual shift in the nations to the glory of God, as we learn to co-labor together in innovative and exciting ways.
KINGDOM ALIGNMENT
Ultimately, God's intention is to give His ambassadors access to "gates" of nations to change and affect their destiny and bring them into Kingdom alignment. As Holy Spirit directs the cross-pollination of ministries, giftings, and callings, God will bring us together in unity, love, and servant hood so that He can pour out His Kingdom agendas on the earth, producing fruit to the glory of His name. Unity is God's strategy, and dominion is His goal.Spiritual cross-pollination will result in Kingdom deposits of wisdom, revelation, gifting, and authority being produced and distributed (and/or re-distributed) in different places or in a different manner than we may presently be accustomed to. God may ask us to go to a new place or to new people, either temporarily or permanently, as His ambassadors. He may simply ask us to go and serve another who is laboring in the harvest field. The vision and call to cross-pollinate speak of multiplication of blessing and multiplication of our effectiveness as Christians here on the earth. It is time for the Kingdom to come with great power and signs and wonders. It is a time to love in Christ's agape, and in this way, the multitudes will be won for Jesus.
GATEKEEPERS OF GOD'S PRESENCE
As worshippers, we are all gatekeepers of God's presence. We each have a place where we have been assigned to co-labor with Holy Spirit and each other. We have each been gifted in God's grace with His commission, with His commandments, and with Holy Spirit's gifts and callings. Some are called to be servant-leaders within the five-fold ministry. All are called to be lovers of Jesus and to prefer one another in love.
GATEKEEPERS HAVE INDIVIDUAL SPHERES OF INFLUENCE
In order for the fullness of these new Godly alliances to take place, we must be robed in humility and be willing to be servants of love. Without this virtue, the bride will be ineffective in her ability to communicate, collaborate, and cooperate with Holy Spirit and each other in the dynamic of spiritual cross-pollination.
To the church in Corinth, Paul said this:
"We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. We, however, will not boast beyond our proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us, a field that reaches even to you." -- 2 Corinthians 10:12-13
Paul exhorts us not to boast in our works, but to be humble and Christ-like. Paul loved to glorify Jesus and confined his "boasting" to be about our glorious Savior: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord," (2 Corinthians 10:17). Paul explains that we are each assigned a field in which we labor for God's glory, indicating that there are individual spheres of authority within which we operate. As Kingdom gatekeepers, we are each assigned a particular sphere or area within which we may exert a Godly influence and operate in Christ's authority and compassion. One of the first places we operate as gatekeepers is within our family units.
IDENTIFY AND RECOGNIZE OTHER GATEKEEPERS AND THEIR SPHERE OF INFLUENCE
"We are not going too far in our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as far as you with the gospel of Christ. Neither do we go beyond our limited by boasting of work done by others." -- 2 Corinthians 10:14-15
Paul recognized that others labored for Jesus, and [he] was happy to commend them for their ministry of the Gospel. We must recognize that there are others who labor and witness effectively for Jesus. Once we understand our calling as gatekeepers, and recognize others in their particular sphere of influence as gatekeepers, we can begin to enter into Kingdom alliances that form a corporate expression in this arena. Gatekeepers have spheres of authority in which they operate; the individual gatekeeper has an appointed sphere of authority. This is greatly enhanced when gatekeepers gather together and form a corporate Kingdom expression of gatekeeper authority, wisdom, and revelation.
EXPONENTIAL INCREASE IN CORPORATE GATEKEEPER ANOINTING
"Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand, so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you." -- 2 Corinthians 10:15b-16
There is the potential for an exponential increase of Jesus' Kingdom when individual gatekeepers form divinely inspired alliances. This may be described as a corporate gatekeeper anointing. We are not called to operate in isolation, since the overall work of the Gospel is enhanced with cooperation, mutuality, and preferring one another in love, which leads to Kingdom increase and multiplication.
WHAT IS A GATEKEEPER?
"But the four principal gatekeepers were entrusted with the responsibility for the rooms and treasuries in the house of God. They would spend the night stationed around the house of God, because they had to guard it; and they had charge of the key for opening it each morning." -- 1 Chronicles 9:26b-27
A Kingdom gatekeeper is simply this: a person whom the Lord has entrusted with keys of revelation, wisdom, and authority and walks in intimacy with Jesus. Gatekeepers have guardianship of the treasuries of the house of God. There are many different types of gatekeepers, and each has a particular "field" of influence (as previously mentioned). These include worshipping gatekeepers, community gatekeepers, market place gatekeepers, and apostolic or prophetic gatekeepers, to name a few. Our first ministry, as gatekeepers, is to minister to the Lord.
GATEKEEPERS ARE THOSE WHOM GOD CAN ENTRUST WITH RESPONSIBILITY
"Altogether, those chosen to be gatekeepers at the thresholds numbered 212. They were registered by genealogy in their villages. The gatekeepers had been assigned to their positions of trust by David and Samuel the seer. They and their descendants were in charge of guarding the gates of the house of the Lord -- the house called the Tent." -- 1 Chronicles 9:22-23
PIONEER GATEKEEPERS
Gatekeepers are often pioneers. Two Old Testament examples of pioneer gatekeepers are Joseph and Daniel. Peter may be considered a New Testatment example of an apostolic gatekeeper as he was given keys of revelation, power, and authority:
"And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." -- Matthew 17:18-19
A gatekeeper has revelatory keys to unlock spiritual gates. In order to more fully understand the function of a gatekeeper, it is helpful to consider the purpose of gates.
JESUS IS THE GATE! HE GIVES ACCESS AND GRANTS DOMINION
"Jesus said, 'I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.'" -- John 10:7
The result of passing through the Gate that is Christ is salvation!
GATES ARE A POINT OF ACCESS
"While the gatekeepers are still on duty, have them shut the doors and bar them. Also appoint residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some near their own houses." -- Nehemiah 7:3
In the days of walled cities, gates were of tremendous significance. A gate was a point of access or a place where access was denied to an unwanted intruder or enemy.
GATES ARE PLACES FOR DECISION MAKING
The gateway was a place where the elders of the city met to make decisions and settle disputes. Decisions made at the gates affected the lives and destiny of those under the authority of the elders. Today, as we consider the corporate effects of gatekeepers, it is noteworthy that these will impact on a community, national, international, and global level.
GATES ARE PLACES OF PUBLIC ASSEMBLY
"When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, all the people assembled as one man in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra, the scribe, to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses. . . " -- Esther 8:1
A PLACE OF HOSPITALITY
Any stranger could seek hospitality at the city gates (e.g. Lot at the gate of the city).
A PLACE OF ENEMY ACTIVITY
"During the time Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate, Bighthana and Teresh, two of the king's officers who guarded the doorway, became angry and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes. But Mordecai found out about the plot and told Queen Esther, who in turn reported it to the king, giving credit to Mordecai." -- Esther 2:21-22
Satan recognizes that our homes, communities, cities, and nations are gateways and have the potential for the release of incredible power, either for good or [for] evil. The story of Esther reveals that although the enemy conspired at the gate, God had his man at the gate too, and ultimately, God's Kingdom-agenda prevailed.
A PLACE OF CONVERGENCE/TRANSFORMATION
"When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly. But he went only as far as the king's gate, because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it." -- Esther 4:1-2
Gates were places where lives were touched and changed.
MILITARY AND STRATEGIC SIGNIFICANCE
Gates were the weakest places in the city's defenses. Gates, therefore, had guards to watch over who entered AND who was approaching from far away. If the enemy took the gates, then the rest of the city could easily be taken. God is downloading "military" strategies and forming strategic networks and alliances in order to position the Church to be the soul winner in our cities and nations.
A PLACE OF OBSERVATION
"Then the watchman saw another man running, and he called down to the gatekeeper." -- 2 Samuel 18:26
Gates are places where strategic reconnaissance information is exchanged between the watchmen of a community or nation and the gatekeepers.
A PLACE OF PROTECTION
"The King was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept." -- 2 Samuel 18:33
Spiritual gates that are won for Christ are strongholds of the Lord where we can be hidden from the enemy and find rest for our souls.
A PLACE OF PRAYER AND PROPHETIC REVELATION
"I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts. I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint. [Then the Lord replied,] 'Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.'" -- Habakkuk 2:1-3
A gate is a place of prayer and revelatory impartation. Spiritual gates are where we are given prophetic utterance to proclaim the decrees of the Lord. It is where Holy Spirit brings forth breakthrough, blessing, and victory on the earth.
A PLACE TO MAKE APOSTOLIC OR PROPHETIC PROCLAMATION
"The people of the Lord went down to the city gates. 'Wake up, wake up, Deborah! Wake up, wake up, break out in song! Arise, O Barak! Take your captives, son of Abinoam.'" -- Judges 5:12
Gates are places where spiritual battles can be won or lost. Deborah and Barak, along with all the people, rose up to worship at the city gates.
A PLACE OF WORSHIP
"Those who were musicians, heads of Levite families, stayed in the rooms of the temple and were exempt from other duties because they were responsible for the work day and night." -- 1 Chronicles 9:33
As gatekeepers of God's presence, we are all worshipping gatekeepers. As we praise and worship the Holy One, we change the spiritual atmosphere in our homes, our cities, and our nations.
A PLACE FOR PARTICULAR ACTIVITIES
In Biblical times, gates also had names that described the nature of the part of the city they gave access to.
"By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire. Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate and the King's Pool. . . " -- Nehemiah 2:13-14
GATES HAVE ETERNAL SIGNIFICANCE
Gates are places of spiritual breakthrough! In Hebrews 13:11-4, we read how Jesus suffered outside the city gates in order that we might be forgiven of our sins and have eternal life.
GATEWAYS
Gateways are portals of glory and places of Kingdom convergence. Gateways are places of power encounters.
DEVELOPING A GLOBAL MINDSET
Daniel was the Lord's ambassador; Joseph [was] a pioneer gatekeeper and administrator over Egypt. God wants us to develop a global mindset, particularly as we consider:
THE CORPORATE MARKET PLACE • Business• Government• Technology• Media• Communications
GOD'S AGENDA -- UNITY IS THE STRATEGY; DOMINION IS THE GOAL
As existing Kingdom alliances are strengthened and new gatekeepers alliances are formed, Holy Spirit will enable the Church to identify enemy and world gateway systems and empower us to infiltrate these systems by releasing bypass strategies. Bypass strategies are the means through which God will bypass the agenda of hell and bring to pass His divine will.
STRATEGIC ALLIANCES -- AUTHORITY AND DOMINION
God will enable the Church to identify modern-day Cyrus (Isaiah 45) and Pharaoh type figures. Cyrus was a king (person) in authority in the world system. He was a gatekeeper into the world's resources and seats of authority. God used him to bring restoration and empowerment to his people.
GATES ARE SEATS OF POWER AND HAVE POTENTIAL TO RELEASE KINGDOM RESOURCE
God's intention at the gates is to release: • Worship• Warfare• Wisdom• Warnings• Wonders• Witness
Consider some of the world gateways, as we consider the geopolitical landscape:• United Nations• World Economic Forum -- global gateway organization of Trans National Corporations (TNC's)• Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO's)• World Trade Organization (WTO)• World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF)• International Court of Justice (ICJ)• International Criminal Court (ICC)
KINGDOM ALIGNMENT
God's intention is to give His ambassadors access to gates of nations, to change and affect the destiny of nations and bring them into Kingdom alignment.Be blessed this day as a Gatekeeper of God's presence!
Catherine Brown
One Million Hours of Praise
Friday, July 06, 2007
The Gatekeeper Anointing
The Gatekeeper Anointing
Billy Humphrey
November 2nd, 2003
In the year 2000, my wife and I were in our 9th year of ministry as youth pastors at our local church in Norcross, Ga. During this season we decided to rename and revamp our youth ministry. The previous name was tired and no longer reflected the values and vision of the ministry. The driving force of our ministry was an intense yearning to see revival break out in Gwinnett County to sweep 100,000 souls into the kingdom of God. Most of our preaching, teaching and discipleship were anchored around this cause and we wanted a name that reflected this. After many discussions and brain-storming sessions with our key staff we believed "we" had found a name that accurately portrayed our passion. In reality the Lord had directed us to a name that had far greater significance than we could have realized. The new name was 212. 212 was derived from the Fahrenheit temperature for the boiling point of water. The idea was that everything that we were about was to be boiling, on fire for God. 212 really seemed to fit.
I searched the scriptures diligently through every chapter 2 verse 12 to find a reference that supported our vision and values. Unfortunately, there was no chapter 2 verse 12 that seemed to work. I then turned to one of our theme scriptures Isaiah 64:1 and read it more thoroughly. To my surprise, it was right there before me:
Isa 64:1-2 Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down! That the mountains might shake at Your presence; 2 As fire burns brushwood, As fire causes water to boil; To make Your name known to Your adversaries, That the nations may tremble at Your presence!
The boiling point was compared to the visitation of God that Isaiah prayed would shake the nations. Isaiah's prayer in vs.1 had already become a theme scripture for us and now it was clearer than ever.
About a year later a good friend showed me an obscure scripture that caught my attention.
1Ch 9:22 All those chosen as gatekeepers were two hundred and twelve. They were recorded by their genealogy, in their villages. David and Samuel the seer had appointed them to their trusted office.
It was stunning to see 212 right there in the middle of the scripture. I thought that it was interesting, but honestly, I had no clue what a gatekeeper was. I had heard of gatekeepers, but I thought that it was one of those ethereal, prophetic teachings that did not really relate to everyday life (I have since learned differently). Further, I thought that if Gatekeepers were an important part of seeing revival come that I would have already known about it because I had spent, what I thought was, a lot of time studying revival. How little I really knew and how little I still know. Isn't it wonderful that God doesn't base his calling and anointing on our lives upon our lack of understanding or our barrenness but upon His plan and endowment of grace?
Throughout that year the Lord would periodically bring back that scripture to my mind, but I did not doing anything about it. Finally, I decided to study and find out what exactly a Gatekeeper was. As I began to look at the whole passage in I Chronicles 9 I recognized that there were powerful truths hidden in the symbolism of the duties of the Gatekeepers of old. Further, it became clear to me that there were modern day Gatekeepers who were commissioned in similar ways as the ancient Gatekeepers in the Tabernacle of David. The revelations that were within this once obscure scripture staggered me.
In this article I want to unfold the powerful symbolism that the Lord showed me regarding modern day Gatekeepers and their role as it relates to the great revival to come. Let's look at some of the key points of the whole passage together.
1Ch 9:22-33 22 All those chosen as gatekeepers were two hundred and twelve. They were recorded by their genealogy, in their villages. David and Samuel the seer had appointed them to their trusted office. 23 So they and their children were in charge of the gates of the house of the LORD, the house of the tabernacle, by assignment. 24 The gatekeepers were assigned to the four directions: the east, west, north, and south. 25 And their brethren in their villages had to come with them from time to time for seven days. 26 For in this trusted office were four chief gatekeepers; they were Levites. And they had charge over the chambers and treasuries of the house of God. 27 And they lodged all around the house of God because they had the responsibility, and they were in charge of opening it every morning. 28 Now some of them were in charge of the serving vessels, for they brought them in and took them out by count. 29 Some of them were appointed over the furnishings and over all the implements of the sanctuary, and over the fine flour and the wine and the oil and the incense and the spices. 30 And some of the sons of the priests made the ointment of the spices. 31 Mattithiah of the Levites, the firstborn of Shallum the Korahite, had the trusted office over the things that were baked in the pans. 32 And some of their brethren of the sons of the Kohathites were in charge of preparing the showbread for every Sabbath. 33 These are the singers, heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites, who lodged in the chambers, and were free from other duties; for they were employed in that work day and night.
In Charge of the Gates
The first thing that I noticed was that the Gatekeepers were in charge of the Gates of the Tabernacle of the Lord. They were the ones who opened and closed the Gates to the presence of God. This was amazing to me because I knew that God had deeply wounded my heart with the desire for revival. I literally sensed a personal responsibility to "open the heavens" so that the Lord would come down in power. Now the Lord was defining my role as one who was "in charge of opening" the gates for the presence of God to come into the county and into the region. God had confirmed to me in the renaming of our ministry the very DNA that was already alive in my heart. We had been commissioned to open the gates to see the presence of God invade the region. In the same way modern day Gatekeepers are prophetic intercessors, another name is watchmen, who are commissioned by the Lord to open the gates over a region to see the King of Glory come in (Psalm 24:7)
This Trusted Office
The next point that struck me was that it was a "trusted office". In other words, there were literally people whom God was entrusting with the responsibility to fervently pray and intercede for the heavenly gates to open in geographical regions. The urgency of this responsibility gripped my heart with an even greater desire to see God come and break in with power in the region. The truth that He would entrust people in partnership with Him in regard to the manifestation of His Glory caused me to passionately set my heart towards the reality of His visitation and subsequent habitation. Modern Gatekeepers have been given a responsibility as forerunners to prepare places and people for the invasion of the glory of God.
They Lodge Around the House of God
The Gatekeepers literally lived in chambers around the House of God. The reason that they stayed there, so close to the Tabernacle, was because they had a revelation that it was their responsibility to open the gates (v. 27). I believe that as they began to serve in their ministry that they became captivated with the beauty of the Lord. Once their hearts were captivated by His beauty their natural commitment to serve became total surrender from a heart of voluntary love. This spoke so strongly to my heart of the difference in commitment that the Lord desires of His people compared to the way many believers seem to live today. Much of the church in the West has settled into complacency and casual Christianity. Yet God desires to see His bride alive with a heart that is smitten with the knowledge of His love, living lives of radical commitment to Him and His purposes. This truth needs to set in upon us. Once we get a true revelation of the reality of his love and His beauty, commitment to night and day intimacy with Him is natural.
Appointed over the furnishings
The furnishings of the Tabernacle included serving vessels, flour, wine, oil, incense, spices, anointing ointment and showbread. Each of these is full of revelation in its symbolism. Yet, for our purposes here we will focus on the flour, wine and oil. Throughout the Old Testament these three are used together. Flour or grain, new wine and oil are symbols of specific Kingdom realities. Jesus said look unto the fields for they are white unto harvest (John 4:35). The reason that the field where white was because it was covered with grain. So grain or flour is a symbol of souls. We are familiar with the symbol of wine as a symbol of the new move of the Holy Spirit which is to be held in a new wineskin (Mat 9:17). We are also familiar with oil as a type of the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit. (Isa 10:27) As we unveil the symbolism of the flour, wine and oil we see that Gatekeepers are directly involved with not only preparing for the new move of the Spirit of God which will see massive signs and wonders and salvations, but also furnishing these things or bringing them forth. The ministry of Gatekeepers is directly tied to entering into revival in a region.
These are the Singers
Finally, the scripture declares that some of the gatekeepers were singers who were free from other duties and they were employed in intercession and worship to the Lord day and night. God provided that the Gatekeepers could live lifestyles of prayer, worship and service night and day before Him. Comparable to this today is the prayer movement that God is raising up across the nations where people are supported as full-time prayer missionaries to pray in the great revival that is to come. God is recoiling in power at the prayers of these modern day Gatekeepers in order to explode in a blast of His power so stunning that the entire world will experience it (Acts 2:17). His Glory will visit and engulf the entire planet just as waters cover the sea. (Hab 2:14)
In my first contacts with these scriptures many of the truths did not strike me. God had not unlocked the power of their revelation to me. As the Lord began to deal with me about resigning our youth ministry and transitioning into the ministry of IHOP-ATL, the power of this scripture captured me in a brand new way. I had been stirred to understand that the revival to come and the prayer movement were one reality in God's economy. They were not exclusive of each other but simply complimentary facets of the same purpose. I also realized that God had deposited a hunger and passion for revival in me that would not subside. It is still an itch that I cannot scratch. However, I had not realized when we renamed the youth ministry 212 that it directly related to Gatekeepers in the Tabernacle of David. When we finally studied the Tabernacle of David and realized that it was a ministry of 24/7 worship and intercession it was after God had begun to deal with us about transitioning our ministry to start IHOP-ATL. Honestly, we never put it together that the Gatekeepers were in a 24/7 prayer ministry until after God had begun to transition us into the same type of ministry. Two things are for sure: 1) His ways are perfect 2) We are much more dim than we think. When we finally got the revelation that God had given us the name 212 to point to a reality that He was calling us into in the days ahead we were shocked and radically blessed at the same time.
Now, every time that I see the number 212, it is a reminder to me that God has called me to be a Gatekeeper. And not only a Gatekeeper but a Gatekeeper in the modern day Tabernacle of David, living a life of 24/7 worship and intercession to see the gates open and the King of Glory come in.
I pray that this revelation will grip your heart as it has gripped mine. Perhaps you too, are a Gatekeeper, called to open the presence of God in your region. I believe that the Lord is raising up an army of Gatekeepers to open the Gates in these last days for the revival to come. It is overwhelming to consider that the Lord has given us the dignity of having intimate relationship and even further, partnership with Him. As people in partnership with the Un-Created God we need to leave the entrapments of this world and give ourselves in passion and recklessness to His purposes. It is those who live lives of lovesick abandonment who will enter in to the reality of complete commitment to Him and His purposes.
If you believe it's possible that God has called you to be a Gatekeeper pray this prayer:
Heavenly Father, I pray that you would give me the spirit of wisdom and revelation that I may understand the truths and the calling of being a Gatekeeper. Tenderize my heart to serve you in night and day intercession to see your glory invade the land. Increase my faith to believe that my prayers and service will affect the spiritual climate of my region. I speak to the every Gate and say be open. King of Glory come in and have your way in this region, in Jesus' Name, Amen.
Billy Humphrey
November 2nd, 2003
In the year 2000, my wife and I were in our 9th year of ministry as youth pastors at our local church in Norcross, Ga. During this season we decided to rename and revamp our youth ministry. The previous name was tired and no longer reflected the values and vision of the ministry. The driving force of our ministry was an intense yearning to see revival break out in Gwinnett County to sweep 100,000 souls into the kingdom of God. Most of our preaching, teaching and discipleship were anchored around this cause and we wanted a name that reflected this. After many discussions and brain-storming sessions with our key staff we believed "we" had found a name that accurately portrayed our passion. In reality the Lord had directed us to a name that had far greater significance than we could have realized. The new name was 212. 212 was derived from the Fahrenheit temperature for the boiling point of water. The idea was that everything that we were about was to be boiling, on fire for God. 212 really seemed to fit.
I searched the scriptures diligently through every chapter 2 verse 12 to find a reference that supported our vision and values. Unfortunately, there was no chapter 2 verse 12 that seemed to work. I then turned to one of our theme scriptures Isaiah 64:1 and read it more thoroughly. To my surprise, it was right there before me:
Isa 64:1-2 Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down! That the mountains might shake at Your presence; 2 As fire burns brushwood, As fire causes water to boil; To make Your name known to Your adversaries, That the nations may tremble at Your presence!
The boiling point was compared to the visitation of God that Isaiah prayed would shake the nations. Isaiah's prayer in vs.1 had already become a theme scripture for us and now it was clearer than ever.
About a year later a good friend showed me an obscure scripture that caught my attention.
1Ch 9:22 All those chosen as gatekeepers were two hundred and twelve. They were recorded by their genealogy, in their villages. David and Samuel the seer had appointed them to their trusted office.
It was stunning to see 212 right there in the middle of the scripture. I thought that it was interesting, but honestly, I had no clue what a gatekeeper was. I had heard of gatekeepers, but I thought that it was one of those ethereal, prophetic teachings that did not really relate to everyday life (I have since learned differently). Further, I thought that if Gatekeepers were an important part of seeing revival come that I would have already known about it because I had spent, what I thought was, a lot of time studying revival. How little I really knew and how little I still know. Isn't it wonderful that God doesn't base his calling and anointing on our lives upon our lack of understanding or our barrenness but upon His plan and endowment of grace?
Throughout that year the Lord would periodically bring back that scripture to my mind, but I did not doing anything about it. Finally, I decided to study and find out what exactly a Gatekeeper was. As I began to look at the whole passage in I Chronicles 9 I recognized that there were powerful truths hidden in the symbolism of the duties of the Gatekeepers of old. Further, it became clear to me that there were modern day Gatekeepers who were commissioned in similar ways as the ancient Gatekeepers in the Tabernacle of David. The revelations that were within this once obscure scripture staggered me.
In this article I want to unfold the powerful symbolism that the Lord showed me regarding modern day Gatekeepers and their role as it relates to the great revival to come. Let's look at some of the key points of the whole passage together.
1Ch 9:22-33 22 All those chosen as gatekeepers were two hundred and twelve. They were recorded by their genealogy, in their villages. David and Samuel the seer had appointed them to their trusted office. 23 So they and their children were in charge of the gates of the house of the LORD, the house of the tabernacle, by assignment. 24 The gatekeepers were assigned to the four directions: the east, west, north, and south. 25 And their brethren in their villages had to come with them from time to time for seven days. 26 For in this trusted office were four chief gatekeepers; they were Levites. And they had charge over the chambers and treasuries of the house of God. 27 And they lodged all around the house of God because they had the responsibility, and they were in charge of opening it every morning. 28 Now some of them were in charge of the serving vessels, for they brought them in and took them out by count. 29 Some of them were appointed over the furnishings and over all the implements of the sanctuary, and over the fine flour and the wine and the oil and the incense and the spices. 30 And some of the sons of the priests made the ointment of the spices. 31 Mattithiah of the Levites, the firstborn of Shallum the Korahite, had the trusted office over the things that were baked in the pans. 32 And some of their brethren of the sons of the Kohathites were in charge of preparing the showbread for every Sabbath. 33 These are the singers, heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites, who lodged in the chambers, and were free from other duties; for they were employed in that work day and night.
In Charge of the Gates
The first thing that I noticed was that the Gatekeepers were in charge of the Gates of the Tabernacle of the Lord. They were the ones who opened and closed the Gates to the presence of God. This was amazing to me because I knew that God had deeply wounded my heart with the desire for revival. I literally sensed a personal responsibility to "open the heavens" so that the Lord would come down in power. Now the Lord was defining my role as one who was "in charge of opening" the gates for the presence of God to come into the county and into the region. God had confirmed to me in the renaming of our ministry the very DNA that was already alive in my heart. We had been commissioned to open the gates to see the presence of God invade the region. In the same way modern day Gatekeepers are prophetic intercessors, another name is watchmen, who are commissioned by the Lord to open the gates over a region to see the King of Glory come in (Psalm 24:7)
This Trusted Office
The next point that struck me was that it was a "trusted office". In other words, there were literally people whom God was entrusting with the responsibility to fervently pray and intercede for the heavenly gates to open in geographical regions. The urgency of this responsibility gripped my heart with an even greater desire to see God come and break in with power in the region. The truth that He would entrust people in partnership with Him in regard to the manifestation of His Glory caused me to passionately set my heart towards the reality of His visitation and subsequent habitation. Modern Gatekeepers have been given a responsibility as forerunners to prepare places and people for the invasion of the glory of God.
They Lodge Around the House of God
The Gatekeepers literally lived in chambers around the House of God. The reason that they stayed there, so close to the Tabernacle, was because they had a revelation that it was their responsibility to open the gates (v. 27). I believe that as they began to serve in their ministry that they became captivated with the beauty of the Lord. Once their hearts were captivated by His beauty their natural commitment to serve became total surrender from a heart of voluntary love. This spoke so strongly to my heart of the difference in commitment that the Lord desires of His people compared to the way many believers seem to live today. Much of the church in the West has settled into complacency and casual Christianity. Yet God desires to see His bride alive with a heart that is smitten with the knowledge of His love, living lives of radical commitment to Him and His purposes. This truth needs to set in upon us. Once we get a true revelation of the reality of his love and His beauty, commitment to night and day intimacy with Him is natural.
Appointed over the furnishings
The furnishings of the Tabernacle included serving vessels, flour, wine, oil, incense, spices, anointing ointment and showbread. Each of these is full of revelation in its symbolism. Yet, for our purposes here we will focus on the flour, wine and oil. Throughout the Old Testament these three are used together. Flour or grain, new wine and oil are symbols of specific Kingdom realities. Jesus said look unto the fields for they are white unto harvest (John 4:35). The reason that the field where white was because it was covered with grain. So grain or flour is a symbol of souls. We are familiar with the symbol of wine as a symbol of the new move of the Holy Spirit which is to be held in a new wineskin (Mat 9:17). We are also familiar with oil as a type of the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit. (Isa 10:27) As we unveil the symbolism of the flour, wine and oil we see that Gatekeepers are directly involved with not only preparing for the new move of the Spirit of God which will see massive signs and wonders and salvations, but also furnishing these things or bringing them forth. The ministry of Gatekeepers is directly tied to entering into revival in a region.
These are the Singers
Finally, the scripture declares that some of the gatekeepers were singers who were free from other duties and they were employed in intercession and worship to the Lord day and night. God provided that the Gatekeepers could live lifestyles of prayer, worship and service night and day before Him. Comparable to this today is the prayer movement that God is raising up across the nations where people are supported as full-time prayer missionaries to pray in the great revival that is to come. God is recoiling in power at the prayers of these modern day Gatekeepers in order to explode in a blast of His power so stunning that the entire world will experience it (Acts 2:17). His Glory will visit and engulf the entire planet just as waters cover the sea. (Hab 2:14)
In my first contacts with these scriptures many of the truths did not strike me. God had not unlocked the power of their revelation to me. As the Lord began to deal with me about resigning our youth ministry and transitioning into the ministry of IHOP-ATL, the power of this scripture captured me in a brand new way. I had been stirred to understand that the revival to come and the prayer movement were one reality in God's economy. They were not exclusive of each other but simply complimentary facets of the same purpose. I also realized that God had deposited a hunger and passion for revival in me that would not subside. It is still an itch that I cannot scratch. However, I had not realized when we renamed the youth ministry 212 that it directly related to Gatekeepers in the Tabernacle of David. When we finally studied the Tabernacle of David and realized that it was a ministry of 24/7 worship and intercession it was after God had begun to deal with us about transitioning our ministry to start IHOP-ATL. Honestly, we never put it together that the Gatekeepers were in a 24/7 prayer ministry until after God had begun to transition us into the same type of ministry. Two things are for sure: 1) His ways are perfect 2) We are much more dim than we think. When we finally got the revelation that God had given us the name 212 to point to a reality that He was calling us into in the days ahead we were shocked and radically blessed at the same time.
Now, every time that I see the number 212, it is a reminder to me that God has called me to be a Gatekeeper. And not only a Gatekeeper but a Gatekeeper in the modern day Tabernacle of David, living a life of 24/7 worship and intercession to see the gates open and the King of Glory come in.
I pray that this revelation will grip your heart as it has gripped mine. Perhaps you too, are a Gatekeeper, called to open the presence of God in your region. I believe that the Lord is raising up an army of Gatekeepers to open the Gates in these last days for the revival to come. It is overwhelming to consider that the Lord has given us the dignity of having intimate relationship and even further, partnership with Him. As people in partnership with the Un-Created God we need to leave the entrapments of this world and give ourselves in passion and recklessness to His purposes. It is those who live lives of lovesick abandonment who will enter in to the reality of complete commitment to Him and His purposes.
If you believe it's possible that God has called you to be a Gatekeeper pray this prayer:
Heavenly Father, I pray that you would give me the spirit of wisdom and revelation that I may understand the truths and the calling of being a Gatekeeper. Tenderize my heart to serve you in night and day intercession to see your glory invade the land. Increase my faith to believe that my prayers and service will affect the spiritual climate of my region. I speak to the every Gate and say be open. King of Glory come in and have your way in this region, in Jesus' Name, Amen.
By Faith Walls Fall Down
BY FAITH WALLS FALL DOWN
By Dr. Michael A. Halleen"By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days." (Hebrews 11:30)
Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal (1394-1460) never captained a ship or sailed on a voyage of exploration. He stayed home and read accounts of others who had. He thought about what they said and let his mind march around new theories about what the world must be like. He wondered and imagined, calculated and drew maps. Prince Henry died thirty years before Portuguese explorers were able to test his theories, but when they did, they brought back proof that he had been incredibly accurate. As a result, Portugal took the lead in world exploration for fully a hundred years. Other nations held back, making excuses about internal problems. Other explorers did not see the possibilities or worried about lack of money. They lacked faith to move past what seemed to be insurmountable obstacles.
To feel bound by perceived limits is so human, so common. A century ago there were predictions that no one could ever drive a car 60 miles per hour because the wind would suck one's breath away. In 1934 the track coach at the University of California laid out what he believed were the absolute limits of achievement in track and field events. All of them, of course, have long since been exceeded. High school athletes today are out-performing Olympic champions of a few decades ago. There appears to be no limit to how fast we can run, how far we can go, how high we can leap.
So we do well not to set limits on what we can do and become as children of God if we believe in the power of Christ within us. We do well not to minimize the potential of the people of God when we act in faith. Walls fall down. Families are transformed, communities changed.
When my two grandchildren blow out the candles on their birthday cakes each year and make their wishes, I make one of my own for them. My birthday wish for each is faith, the single quality that will guarantee him a successful life. Faith is simply trust that God is stronger than all the limitations, hurts, fears and problems they may face. I do not pray that they will have superior intellects or well-coordinated bodies. I am not concerned that they be popular or clever, blessed with talent or wealth. I care only that they will persist in faith toward the goals and dreams that God may give them — the Prince Henrys of their time.By faith walls fall down.
By Dr. Michael A. Halleen"By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days." (Hebrews 11:30)
Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal (1394-1460) never captained a ship or sailed on a voyage of exploration. He stayed home and read accounts of others who had. He thought about what they said and let his mind march around new theories about what the world must be like. He wondered and imagined, calculated and drew maps. Prince Henry died thirty years before Portuguese explorers were able to test his theories, but when they did, they brought back proof that he had been incredibly accurate. As a result, Portugal took the lead in world exploration for fully a hundred years. Other nations held back, making excuses about internal problems. Other explorers did not see the possibilities or worried about lack of money. They lacked faith to move past what seemed to be insurmountable obstacles.
To feel bound by perceived limits is so human, so common. A century ago there were predictions that no one could ever drive a car 60 miles per hour because the wind would suck one's breath away. In 1934 the track coach at the University of California laid out what he believed were the absolute limits of achievement in track and field events. All of them, of course, have long since been exceeded. High school athletes today are out-performing Olympic champions of a few decades ago. There appears to be no limit to how fast we can run, how far we can go, how high we can leap.
So we do well not to set limits on what we can do and become as children of God if we believe in the power of Christ within us. We do well not to minimize the potential of the people of God when we act in faith. Walls fall down. Families are transformed, communities changed.
When my two grandchildren blow out the candles on their birthday cakes each year and make their wishes, I make one of my own for them. My birthday wish for each is faith, the single quality that will guarantee him a successful life. Faith is simply trust that God is stronger than all the limitations, hurts, fears and problems they may face. I do not pray that they will have superior intellects or well-coordinated bodies. I am not concerned that they be popular or clever, blessed with talent or wealth. I care only that they will persist in faith toward the goals and dreams that God may give them — the Prince Henrys of their time.By faith walls fall down.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Paul, Silas, Timothy and the Call
Hi gang - you know I have an immature/not quite ripe thought I want to pass your way regarding the prayer & fasting that will precede the Call in Nashville. Ordinarily I’d let it ripen, but I’m feeling a little reckless and immature today – so anyway, here goes . . .
I had a dream the other day about a group of young people who were being separated into two teams. Neither group was good or bad. Actually, it seemed like I loved both groups. However, there was a group of little boys in front of me that I suddenly cared for. Something about them reminded me of Timothy, Paul’s adopted son in Christ.
They were expressing concern about the way the teams had ended up because they were intimidated. The other team seemed too strong, i.e., the odds were stacked against them.
Corey Russell (a teacher on intercession at IHOP-KC ) was sitting on the floor with them in order to identify with them, coach them and communicate at their level. I said to the kids, "Don't worry, you have Paul and Silas on your team and they are pray-ers." Corey took my hand to let me know that he agreed with me and his hand lingered there and although it was awkward, I was aware that he really wanted to communicate encouragement that what I said was right - and as I let go, I suddenly felt the Holy Spirit lingering over us.
When I woke up, I was puzzled because it seemed to me it would have been more likely for me to think “Paul and Barnabus”. But the dream was clear, so – I waited for God to make sense of it. It turns out that He was quick to do so because I ended up in a seminar last night and my friend was talking about Paul and Silas. She recounted the story of Paul and Silas in prison. They were imprisoned for a couple of reasons that are too lengthy to go into right now, but the passage of focus was Acts 16: 25ff
25About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. 27The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!" 29The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
Now, here’s the deal - Paul and Silas most likely were not praying and singing hymns just to get God to release them. It seems to me that they were just loving Him because they loved Him. The reason I say that is if you look at the passage, they never sought to escape when the earthquake broke their chains. As a matter of fact, at the end of the chapter, when they are set free, Paul is quite cranky and says that they were jailed without cause, so he insists that the dudes who locked them up ought to come and escort them out – justifying them completely. In the meantime, their prayer and worship preceded an earthquake that not only broke their chains but broke off the chains of all of the prisoners and one result was that the jailer and his family sought salvation.
All righty then, one more thought and I’ll try and tie all of the pieces together . . .
At the beginning of this chapter, Paul has just been aggravated by John Mark not sticking things out and he runs into Timothy. He’s quite soft hearted toward Timothy and he wants to take him with him on his missionary trip. Timothy’s mom is Jewish, but his dad is Greek and apparently did not allow him to be circumcised when he was a baby. Paul does something bizarre considering that he advocates so staunchly for the Gentiles to not have to be circumcised. He tells Timothy that he’d like him to be circumcised. It appears that something is different here - he’s looking for young Timothy to have a voice to the Jews. He knows that the Jews will not listen to young Timothy unless he fully identifies with them. So Paul, in essence, steps in as a father and circumcises Timothy himself.
So what’s the connection to the dream? This 40 day prayer/fast and The Call are in essence a time of separation for our young people; Timothys perhaps? I believe we are called to get down on the ground with them and intercede (Corey) and encourage them by identifying with them; communicating that they have fathers and mothers in the faith that will link hands with them in prayer and worship.
The gift that we have to offer them is our prayer and worship and an offering of love for love’s sake. It’s the kind of kiss that really moves God’s heart because it’s not a manipulative act of affection to bring about the change of our circumstances. At its heart, it’s truly and simply because we really love and trust our Father’s intentions . . . while also caring for the next Generation; helping them to develop the same/better in their own lives.
Now, I know that some of us feel imprisoned right now as well and God cares about that – He’s on it. But this act of love expressed in prayer and worship, like Paul and Silas offered in their prison, inadvertently yields a result that is not really just about us, it’s about all of the other prisoners and the jailers that God wants to set free and He’s willing to move both heaven and earth in order to do so.
Additionally, if I were to walk out the analogy, perhaps our young Timothys will have an opportunity to identify with and speak into the Jewish people about Jesus as we take up our roles as Moms and Dads and identify ourselves with them; bringing the youth alongside us and helping them to circumcise their hearts to the Lord.
If you are going to engage in this solemn assembly, can I encourage you to grab a young person and pray with them during this time? Teach them about their role and their invitation. Identify with some young soul that needs to be loved and encouraged to step into their rightful identity. If you don’t have some young dude or dudette that will pray with you, ask God if there is someone He would put on your heart to simply pray FOR. But in the midst of it all, let’s look at God and just love Him BIG, simply because He’s just so good, so wonderful and we are falling deeply in love with Him in all of His beauty. Let’s thank Him for this opportunity and watch for the earthquake that set prisoners and jailers free.
Hosea 6:1-3 "Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. 2 After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us that we may live in his presence. 3 Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth."
Much love, t
I had a dream the other day about a group of young people who were being separated into two teams. Neither group was good or bad. Actually, it seemed like I loved both groups. However, there was a group of little boys in front of me that I suddenly cared for. Something about them reminded me of Timothy, Paul’s adopted son in Christ.
They were expressing concern about the way the teams had ended up because they were intimidated. The other team seemed too strong, i.e., the odds were stacked against them.
Corey Russell (a teacher on intercession at IHOP-KC ) was sitting on the floor with them in order to identify with them, coach them and communicate at their level. I said to the kids, "Don't worry, you have Paul and Silas on your team and they are pray-ers." Corey took my hand to let me know that he agreed with me and his hand lingered there and although it was awkward, I was aware that he really wanted to communicate encouragement that what I said was right - and as I let go, I suddenly felt the Holy Spirit lingering over us.
When I woke up, I was puzzled because it seemed to me it would have been more likely for me to think “Paul and Barnabus”. But the dream was clear, so – I waited for God to make sense of it. It turns out that He was quick to do so because I ended up in a seminar last night and my friend was talking about Paul and Silas. She recounted the story of Paul and Silas in prison. They were imprisoned for a couple of reasons that are too lengthy to go into right now, but the passage of focus was Acts 16: 25ff
25About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. 27The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!" 29The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
Now, here’s the deal - Paul and Silas most likely were not praying and singing hymns just to get God to release them. It seems to me that they were just loving Him because they loved Him. The reason I say that is if you look at the passage, they never sought to escape when the earthquake broke their chains. As a matter of fact, at the end of the chapter, when they are set free, Paul is quite cranky and says that they were jailed without cause, so he insists that the dudes who locked them up ought to come and escort them out – justifying them completely. In the meantime, their prayer and worship preceded an earthquake that not only broke their chains but broke off the chains of all of the prisoners and one result was that the jailer and his family sought salvation.
All righty then, one more thought and I’ll try and tie all of the pieces together . . .
At the beginning of this chapter, Paul has just been aggravated by John Mark not sticking things out and he runs into Timothy. He’s quite soft hearted toward Timothy and he wants to take him with him on his missionary trip. Timothy’s mom is Jewish, but his dad is Greek and apparently did not allow him to be circumcised when he was a baby. Paul does something bizarre considering that he advocates so staunchly for the Gentiles to not have to be circumcised. He tells Timothy that he’d like him to be circumcised. It appears that something is different here - he’s looking for young Timothy to have a voice to the Jews. He knows that the Jews will not listen to young Timothy unless he fully identifies with them. So Paul, in essence, steps in as a father and circumcises Timothy himself.
So what’s the connection to the dream? This 40 day prayer/fast and The Call are in essence a time of separation for our young people; Timothys perhaps? I believe we are called to get down on the ground with them and intercede (Corey) and encourage them by identifying with them; communicating that they have fathers and mothers in the faith that will link hands with them in prayer and worship.
The gift that we have to offer them is our prayer and worship and an offering of love for love’s sake. It’s the kind of kiss that really moves God’s heart because it’s not a manipulative act of affection to bring about the change of our circumstances. At its heart, it’s truly and simply because we really love and trust our Father’s intentions . . . while also caring for the next Generation; helping them to develop the same/better in their own lives.
Now, I know that some of us feel imprisoned right now as well and God cares about that – He’s on it. But this act of love expressed in prayer and worship, like Paul and Silas offered in their prison, inadvertently yields a result that is not really just about us, it’s about all of the other prisoners and the jailers that God wants to set free and He’s willing to move both heaven and earth in order to do so.
Additionally, if I were to walk out the analogy, perhaps our young Timothys will have an opportunity to identify with and speak into the Jewish people about Jesus as we take up our roles as Moms and Dads and identify ourselves with them; bringing the youth alongside us and helping them to circumcise their hearts to the Lord.
If you are going to engage in this solemn assembly, can I encourage you to grab a young person and pray with them during this time? Teach them about their role and their invitation. Identify with some young soul that needs to be loved and encouraged to step into their rightful identity. If you don’t have some young dude or dudette that will pray with you, ask God if there is someone He would put on your heart to simply pray FOR. But in the midst of it all, let’s look at God and just love Him BIG, simply because He’s just so good, so wonderful and we are falling deeply in love with Him in all of His beauty. Let’s thank Him for this opportunity and watch for the earthquake that set prisoners and jailers free.
Hosea 6:1-3 "Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. 2 After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us that we may live in his presence. 3 Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth."
Much love, t
Friday, April 27, 2007
A Prayer Primer
A Prayer Primer
What follows are some basic biblical foundations that, when understood in succession, ought to release faith for this partnered intercessory prayer; birthed through the power of love. We will begin to believe in this partnership as we know and believe in our partner and in His love.
Indeed, I tell you truly, the one believing into Me, the works which I do, that one shall do also, and greater than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you may ask in My Name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. John 14:12-13
In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not tell you that I will petition the Father about you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came out from God. John 16:26-27
- Our God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit is love. 1John 4:16
- He fully knows us and loves us Psalm 139, John 1 & 3:16
- We didn’t start out broken and we don’t end up that way either. We were made for Love. Genesis 1 & 2, Revelation 21
- As much as we hate the idea that we could be responsible, we, as a race, are responsible for bringing sin and suffering into our world. Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so death spread to everyone, because all have sinned. Romans 5:12
- The result of sin is death and injustice and it affects all of Creation.There was no way we could fix the problem, and no way to stop it. So God, who is Love, came to our rescue. For He made the One who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21
- Our Father endured the painful tearing of separation; a broken heart if you will; in order to inflict the full wrath of holiness judging/conquering sin upon His deeply loved Son instead of us. In that act, He made us sons. That gave Him great pleasure. Isaiah 53:10
Take a close look now at Isaiah 53 before we go on.
Who has believed our report? And to whom is the arm of Jehovah revealed? For He comes up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form nor magnificence that we should see Him; nor form that we should desire Him. He is despised and abandoned of men, a Man of pains, and acquainted with sickness. And as it were hiding our faces from Him, He being despised, and we did not value Him. Surely He has borne our sicknesses, and He carried our pain; yet we esteemed Him plagued, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His wounds we ourselves are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have each one turned to his own way; and Jehovah made meet in Him the iniquity of all of us. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, but He did not open His mouth. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter; and as a ewe before her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from justice; and who shall consider His generation? For He was cut off out of the land of the living; from the transgression of My people, the stroke was to Him. And He appointed Him His grave with the wicked, but He was with a rich man in His death; though He had done no violence, and deceit was not in His mouth. But Jehovah pleased to crush Him, to make Him sick, so that If He should put His soul as a guilt offering, He shall see His seed; He shall prolong His days; and the will of Jehovah shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the fruit of the travail of His soul; He shall be fully satisfied. By His knowledge the righteous One, My Servant, shall justify for many, and He shall bear their iniquities. Because of this I will divide to Him with the great, and with the strong He shall divide the spoil; because He poured out His soul to death; and He was counted with those transgressing; and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for those transgressing.
Take the time to hang out with Isaiah 53 and look into Ephesians 1-3. They are crucial passages for us to consider because they reveal this foundational truth: Jesus took on all of our iniquities, transgressions and sins. “Iniquities” refer to our nature of perversity; i.e., our downward bent away from God and toward sin. “Transgressions” refer to our willful rebellion; our choices that say “we will not obey” to God. In Isaiah 53:10 we are told that the “stroke was to Him”. In the King James Version, the word is translated “stricken” for our transgressions. The word “stricken” is the same word used to describe leprosy. In essence, He became a leper for our sakes as He took our sins upon Himself. We’re also told that He took upon Himself the iniquities of us all. He endured crucifixion and took the full blow of judgment; conquering all of our enemies, including sin and death. He demonstrated that Love is not just as strong as death, but stronger than death and because of that, He is worthy and the only One strong enough to break the seals of Revelation and bring about the redemption of creation. God is to us a God of deliverances (salvation) and to God belongs escape from death. Psalm 68:20, Song of Songs 8:6-7 - This Beautiful One; this Bridegroom-Redeemer loves us so much He always makes intercession for us, even now. And the Holy Spirit; the comforter, teacher and power of God in action, reveals the truth to us, lives in us and makes intercession with us so we can be in union with God. Isaiah 52:10, 53:5, Zechariah 12:10, John 3:16, John 1:29 John 14:16, Hebrews 10, Romans 8:26, Revelation 5
- When Jesus, our forever High Priest, paid fully for our sins, iniquities and transgressions, He completely clothed us in His righteousness and He has taken away our shame. He didn’t just pay for those sins we committed before our born again encounter, He also paid for the sins we still struggle with as we work out our salvation. We can boldly approach the Throne of Grace to find mercy and grace because we are IN Him and Christ is in us (plural, corporately) the Hope of Glory. John 1:29, Colossians 1, Hebrews 10
- Our destiny as the Body and Bride is to operate from the same identity as our Bridegroom-Redeemer, Jesus. Our original DNA (both inherited and perpetuated) carries a sin bent nature and a destiny of death. In the grace of God, through faith in Jesus, we get the opportunity of a lifetime so to speak. We are identified with Him in faith and that original identity is crucified with Him in an event that transcends time and space. We emerge from that death into His love bent nature and a destiny of eternal life. We are born anew into/with a new identity. We are a brand new creation. We are clothed with Him and given His DNA. We are in essence and in truth, completely immersed in His name/character/identity. (As a matter of meditation, we are actually baptized in the name/ character/ identity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Chew on that one for awhile.) To be baptized in a name means we are fully immersed in; wet with; clothed with; covered in . . . in this case God. Therefore, we are called to live and love from this identity.
But faith coming, we are no longer under a trainer; for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many as were baptized into Christ, you put on Christ. There cannot be Jew nor Greek, there is no slave nor freeman, there is no male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are of Christ, then you are a seed of Abraham, even heirs according to promise. Galatians 3:25-29
That the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of…revelation…that you may know…what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe…which He worked in Christ when He raised Him…and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places… He put all things under His (Jesus as a Man) feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him… Ephesians 1:17-23
Raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ... Ephesians 2:6
For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. "For this, a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh." Gen. 2:24 The mystery is great, but I speak as to Christ and as to the assembly. However, you also, everyone, let each one love his wife as himself, and the wife, that she give deference to the husband. Ephesians 5:30-33
But about the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the scepter of your kingdom is a righteous scepter. Hebrews 1:8
Son though he was, he learned obedience through his sufferings and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, having been designated by God to be a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 5:9-10
They sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and open its seals, because you were slaughtered. With your blood you purchased people for God from every tribe, language, people, and nation. You made them a kingdom and priests for our God, and they will reign on the earth." Revelation 5:9-10 - God is good. The Hebrew word “good”, when describing God’s goodness, isn’t a small word or concept. It doesn’t mean “nice”. It means “wildly good”; tremendously, extravagantly good. His goodness and lovingkindness is completely full and bent toward His own. We can rest in that always. . . . The Lord is good; His loving-kindness endures for ever, and his faithfulness unto all generations. Psalm 100:5
For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his loving-kindness toward them that fear him. Psalm 103:11 - He is unfathomably rich in grace and mercy. We may draw upon the riches of His grace and mercy every time we turn to Him, even as we struggle with the remnants of our pre-Christ nature; i.e., our sins, again and again. When we confess our sins and repent, He is incredibly faithful and quick to forgive us; He is our victory. We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word; the kiss if you will, of our testimony. As a result, we can ascend the hill of the Lord with clean hands and a pure heart. Ephesians 1-3, 1John 1:9, Psalm 24:4, Revelation 12:11
- The Father loves us and loves us and loves us . . . . and hears us because of the gift of righteousness we receive in Jesus. 1Kings 8, 2Chronicles 7:12, Psalm 5:2, John 3:16, John 11:41-42,1John 3:1
- We are seated at the right hand of God with Christ Jesus and we can and ought to pray from that position (Heaven to earth) Ephesians 2:6
- We are given governmental responsibility for the earth. Genesis 1:27-31, Psalm 115:16 That responsibility is rightly released through love/justice/humility and prayer.
- We engage in that responsibility with authority by agreement with God and each other in prayer Matthew 17:21,18:20, John 17, James 5:17, Revelation 8:3
- We are made from the fabric of Creation. It has been subjected to futility because of us until the sons of God are revealed. Creation’s destiny is entirely tied into us. Genesis 1- 3, Romans 8:18-23 Walking in our true identity and agreeing with God in prayer makes all the difference.
- The sons of God are identified as “the peace makers”. Matthew 5:9 We become “peace makers” as we embrace our identity in “the Prince of Peace” Isaiah 9:6 and are conformed to His image as the image bearers. Genesis 1:27,Romans 8:29
- Jesus taught us that as “peace makers” we could choose to love our enemies, and pray for those that persecute us; so that we may be sons of our Father who is in heaven: for he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. Matthew 5:44-45. That means, through the gift of prayer in love, we don’t have to expend useless energy maintaining our anger, our bitter wounds and the chains of un-forgiveness. What a relief! And, as we forgive, we are forgiven. As we are merciful, we receive mercy. It’s the sowing/reaping model of Kingdom living.
- Love and prayer are intimately connected. Prayer is our love language. It is how we engage with God throughout our day; how God helps us with our choices; and how we release love/justice; transforming the scenarios we face. More than that . . . love can be prayed into people and situations. And this is my prayer that your love will keep on growing more and more in full knowledge and perfect insight. Philippians 1:9
- Our hearts are softened in prayer. (That is at least one reason that we are called to pray for our enemies – so that they won’t be our enemies anymore. One less thing to worry about.)
- God likes prayer. Prayers are incense (a pleasing smell) before the Lord. The elders around God’s Throne have harps and gold bowls filled with the prayers of the saints. Our prayers are mixed with the fire on the altar and hurled toward the earth with the purposes of God directing them. Psalm 18, Revelation 5:8, 8:1-5
- God receives thanksgiving and praise because of answered prayer and through that our joy is made complete. Until now you asked nothing in My name; ask, and you will receive, so that your joy may be full. John 16:24, also see Philippians 4:6
- Our Father’s House is to be a House of Prayer and in the House of Prayer we will find joy. Isaiah 56:7, Matthew 21:13
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