Example of the Functioning Church

This is a lengthy passage, but I feel that it shows us some patterns to follow in the church and the body of Christ. I believe this passage is a reflection of how we are to operate. Because of the length, I have broken the passage up - the following is taken from 1 Chronicles 20:1-30:

It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat. Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar” (which is En Gedi). And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. So Judah gathered together to ask help from the LORD; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.

A vast army was coming against Judah. Looking back to Genesis, Ammon and Moab represent some perverted sin:

So both of Lot's daughters became pregnant by their father. The older daughter had a son, and she named him Moab; he is the father of the Moabites of today. 38 The younger daughter also had a son, and she named him Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the Ammonites of today. (Genesis 19:36-37)

The men of Mount Seir (Horites, Esauites, and Edomites) made their homes by chipping away at rocks (Deut 2:12) in the mountainside, then the Ammonites and Moabites would come in and inhabit those openings. The same thing is happening to us today - the enemy is coming against us, trying to chip away at the rock of our salvation (bitterness, unforgiveness, pride), then trying to inhabit those areas with perversion, lust, envy, and whatever other sin that can come in.

Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court, and said: “O LORD God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You? Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever? And they dwell in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying, ‘If disaster comes upon us—sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.’ And now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir—whom You would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them and did not destroy them—here they are, rewarding us by coming to throw us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit. O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”

Here Jehoshaphat acknowledges who he is, and who God is. Truth is reality - their reality was they were doomed. So are we. Without Him, we can do nothing. We must come to Him as a child - it is His good pleasure to be our salvation! Just as Judah humbled themselves, we must humble ourselves and pray. "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (1 Chron 7:14)

Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the LORD.
Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you.”

They all met together and sought the Lord. I find it interesting the author noted "the little ones" - this is an aside, but there is a place for togetherness with family before the Lord. As they sought the Lord, the prophet spoke, giving a word of faith for victory. We have overcome - by faith we believe and hope for that which is unseen.

And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the LORD, worshiping the LORD. Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with voices loud and high.

After receiving the word of the Lord, the Levites lead the people in worship. They praised Him as if victory was already at hand! What overcoming faith!!! They didn't get bogged down or overwhelmed, they blessed Him and worshipped Him in the midst of their trial.

So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.”

They believed in what the prophet spoke. We need the prophetic ministry in our churches. I believe a time is coming when our very lives will be at stake - we must believe in the prophetic, we must desire to move in it, and we must trust in it. We are to "test all things." That doesn't mean discount all things. We need the prophetic ministry in these last days. The Lord is shaking us now to prepare us and perfect our gifts.

And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying:

“Praise the LORD,
For His mercy endures forever.”
Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated. For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.

Jehoshaphat selected a worship team. They entered the people into intercessory worship, and the enemy fell. Worship is a strategy for warfare. The Lord went before them and turned the enemies on one another.

So when Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude; and there were their dead bodies, fallen on the earth. No one had escaped.
When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away their spoil, they found among them an abundance of valuables on the dead bodies, and precious jewelry, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away; and they were three days gathering the spoil because there was so much. And on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berachah, for there they blessed the LORD; therefore the name of that place was called The Valley of Berachah until this day. Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat in front of them, to go back to Jerusalem with joy, for the LORD had made them rejoice over their enemies. So they came to Jerusalem, with stringed instruments and harps and trumpets, to the house of the LORD. And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel. Then the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.

As with seemingly all of the victories of His people, there was a great spoil. I don't believe we're going to go around killing people, but I do believe we are going to see spoils coming into the church as we begin to overcome in our spiritual warfare. The wealth of the gentiles is coming. They had watched until no one was left from the enemies camp - that is where we need to be - no toleration for anything not of the Lord. And as they enjoyed their victory, God gave them rest all around. That is His desire for us - let Him go before us, and as long as we are walking with Him, we will enjoy His rest and peace upon us.

Tabernacle and the Meeting

To follow up on my previous post, I want to explore more fully the tabernacle and how it applies to our walk, the church, and the Sunday morning meeting.

As part of Old Covenant daily worship, there were two types of sacrifices: the sacrifice of animals on the altar of burnt sacrifices, and the offering of incense on the altar of incense. The burnt sacrifices occurred just inside the gate. The gate symbolizes our confession of Christ. Once inside the gate, we confess our sins on the altar of burnt sacrifices.

When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! (Hebrews 9:11-14)

Just beyond the altar of Burnt Sacrifice was the Laver. This is where the ceremonial washings took place. Today we'd say that is done as part of a water baptism. Once beyond the Laver, there was a tent which was divided into two parts: the Holy Place, and the Most Holy Place. The Holy Place contained the Altar of Incense. This is where as we enter into worship, we offer up praise to Him on the altar of incense. THe Table of ShewBread and the Seven-branched Candlestick was located here as well. The Altar of Incense was located in front of the veil. Here we see in the Holy Place, we walk in the Light, Jesus being the light of the world and the light unto our feet; and Jesus being the Bread of Life. But the veil was rented so we could enter in. As we are washed, sanctified, and filled with His spirit, and then the incense of our prayers are burning on the altar of worship in Spirit and Truth, it is then that we can enter in.

Then Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them. And having sacrificed the sin offering, the burnt offering and the fellowship offering, he stepped down. Moses and Aaron then went into the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown. Leviticus 9:22-24

Fire came down from heaven! We say that we want to see fire, or that we want to be on fire, or whatever, but if we all could corporately follow this pattern, the fire would fall just as it did for Moses and the Israelites! Now that is a meeting!!! This should be the goal for the meeting - for the fire to fall from heaven - to enter into God's presense beyond the veil! This is what John experienced in patmos - what the prophets of old longed and yearned for but couldn't enter in. We have that access, if we're willing to press in. But note here, fire fell because they followed the instruction of the Law in which God had given them - that's the tall order for us - we must press in and live by the Spirit.

Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. Moses then said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD spoke of when he said:
" 'Among those who approach me
I will show myself holy;
in the sight of all the people
I will be honored.' "
Aaron remained silent. (Leviticus 10:1-3)

Here we see what happens when man tries to do it by his own way. By our natural reasonings, we try to enter in through soulish stirrings or entertainment, only to miss out on what God truly desires. Spiritually a part of us dies if we do it enough - if we habitually sin, and disobedience is a sin, we'll miss His voice of correcting, and we'll enter into death.

I believe the Lord is returning us to simpler things. We've become too rigid in our traditions and too "adult-like" in our thinking and reasoning. If we truly walk in the light, confess our sins one to another, break bread and seek His face continually through prayer and worship, then the fire will go before us just as Joel prophesied about the army coming in that great and dreadful day. Let's return to His house being the House of Prayer and Worship in Spirit and Truth!

Changes in the Church

There has been much talk of "the meeting," what Sunday morning should look like, and how the church should operate. Many of us look at the book of Acts as what the church needs to return to in order to be effective once again. Although I would agree with that statement, I also believe there is much more. Many of us know that changes are coming to the church, but I really believe "church" is going to look nothing even remotely like what we're doing now. Those changes are already starting:

For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God (1 Peter 4:17)

Just as in the days when Jesus came the first time, I believe He is begining to "turn the tables" in the church:

On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations?' But you have made it 'a den of robbers.'" (Mark 11:15-17)

If prayer is to be what His house is to represent - are we succeeding at this? Are we moving in this? Would anyone call His house a house of prayer at this time? We have quite a bit of work to do! So we see that is part of the ingredients to the meeting - prayer!

And He found in the temple those who sold cattle, sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!" (John 2:14-17)

It is interesting to note what they were selling in that day. Seems as though we are repeating exactly what the church in that day did. We come to church, basically to consume a "service" of worship songs and a teaching. To passify ourselves and our consciences, we put a little money in the offering plate. In essence, we are "paying our dues" to be a member of the club (the sheep), and using that money in order to "buy" us peace (dove). Now the cattle symbolism is a little trickier. In order to get a handle on what "the meeting" should look like, we should go back to Levitical laws to see what they had to do under the old covenant in order to come into His presence - after all, that should be the point of the meeting - experiencing an encounter with the Living God!

The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. (Hebrews 9:13)

The cattle were sacrificed and placed as a burnt offering for atonement of sin - purification and sanctification. That is the third thing we are "buying" and "consuming" as part of the "service" on Sunday morning. We need to move beyond the religious experience and into an experience with Jesus because, "He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption" which He did for us to be with Him. Another facet of this, too, is as "members" of the club, we have demoted ourselves to merely paying spectators of the "show" put on by the priests and pastors - we don't truly believe we can and should move in ministries of our own.

This is all about to change.

I will be following up with an exploration of the Tabernacle and how it relates to "the meeting" for todays church.

The Army

a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and blackness.
Like dawn spreading across the mountains
a large and mighty army comes,
such as never was of old
nor ever will be in ages to come.

Before them fire devours,
behind them a flame blazes.
Before them the land is like the garden of Eden,
behind them, a desert waste—
nothing escapes them.

They have the appearance of horses;
they gallop along like cavalry.

With a noise like that of chariots
they leap over the mountaintops,
like a crackling fire consuming stubble,
like a mighty army drawn up for battle.

At the sight of them, nations are in anguish;
every face turns pale.

They charge like warriors;
they scale walls like soldiers.
They all march in line,
not swerving from their course.

They do not jostle each other;
each marches straight ahead.
They plunge through defenses
without breaking ranks.

They rush upon the city;
they run along the wall.
They climb into the houses;
like thieves they enter through the windows.

Before them the earth shakes,
the sky trembles,
the sun and moon are darkened,
and the stars no longer shine.

The LORD thunders
at the head of his army;
his forces are beyond number,
and mighty are those who obey his command.
The day of the LORD is great;
it is dreadful.
Who can endure it? (Joel 2:2-11)

This has been one of my favorite passages as of late. Here we see army that is coming - like one the world has never seen before.

A fire goes before them - the presence of the Lord is with them. They are continually in the presence of the Lord. It is here - in the Holy of holies - we get recharged for our healing ministry, or workings of miracles, or prophetic giftings or whatever it may be - those who press in to this degree - the garden of Eden is before them, and they will miss no opportunity for ministry and to touch peoples lives - no fear of man or failure will prevent them from doing the work of the Lord.

This army will walk in unison - the body of Christ will be knitted together and content in their roles! No breaking ranks because of authority issues or discontentment with our place in the body. Our intercessions will be effective and precise - we'll rush on the walls and break into homes - binding strongmen and overtaking the enemy.

It seems as though the world will receive judgement from the Lord through this army - could it be? The shaking has come to the church so that we can begin to train and enlist in this army to come.

Preparation Time - Embrace It!!!

The Lord has brought the shaking to the earth - to the household of faith, we are to embrace the shaking. Our idols in babylon are falling (Isaiah 21/Amos 7) - man will try to prolong the inevitable, but it is falling. It is actually His mercy that He is doing this for us. We must embrace the trials as they are perfecting our faith. Our high places where we have sought refuge in the past are coming to ruin. He is our strong tower (Proverbs 18:10). Even the "good things" must be brought to ruin. We are seeking the "all these things that will be added unto you" and not first His kingdom and His righteousness. This will change. It is also interesting to note that passage in context - Jesus followed by saying to not worry! There is plenty to worry about in the natural, but we are to be at peace in these troubled times by the Spirit. We must recognize the season in which we are in - this is the final hour. Luke 21:34 says to be watchful that our hearts are not weighted down by the anxieties of this life - we must walk "above" the trials by walking out in the spirit when the natural world seems to be falling apart. In doing so, we will become like that plumb wall - straight and true with the Father. Jesus was crucified at Golgotha (the place of the skull). The skull houses the natural mind - we must take our thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ. The natural mind will see despair, but in the Spirit we'll see opportunity. Just as God parted the Red Sea, fed the Israelites in the desert, had ravens feed Elijah and so and and so forth, His provision at times won't make any sense to the natural mind and at times will come miraculously - the point being our eyes will be taken off of our circumstances and on to Him as we walk out in the Spirit and learn to trust Him more fully. This time is not only preparation for us individually, but also as a body.

He is also shaping the body - we need each other! Proverbs 18:9 tells us of the need for each other - he who is slack in his work will destroy many. We must labor not only for ourselves, but for the very welfare of others. We must get plugged in - though the church is still blemished, it is partly blemished because it is missing those who are either offended and on the sidelines or ill-equipped for their purposed job. Either way, as a result, they are slack and we all suffer.

In recent weeks, we've been hearing the word "interfaces". To Perry and I, an interface has meaning for us (him in telecommunications and myself in software) in that an interface point is a point of connection in which information transfers from one interface to another. We are to be "interfaces" for the connecting of the body - i believe that was a word not for Perry and myself, but for all believers as He begins to shape the "city-wide" church. To follow up on the word about "interfaces", Matthew 13:47-52 talks about the kingdom of heaven being like a net - the kingdom is the connecting up or the interfacing of us in preparation for the end time harvest. As we walk these things out, we will walk into the "greater works" - the raising of the dead, healings, and miracles should and will become common place. Now is the time!

Vision of a Joker - seeking interpretation

As we were in our nightwatch last Friday night, I saw in the spirit what looked to be the face of a joker. The joker looked evil, with white and red makeup, blushed cheeks and bright red eyes. It's hair was curly and out of control. Out of its hair came what looked to be either 6 horns or 6 spikes of a crown. At the top of each horn was a circular jewel. I prayed and asked the Lord what it meant, but I only seem to have part of the revelation. It seemed to be a message for the body. The hair represents the storms and trials that are ahead - the hair was like the waves of the see. The horns represent either 6 years of trials - each trial had a name. I don't have all of the names, but I do have some. If this speaks to anyone, please leave some comments! I believe it is a word of warning to prepare for the shaking that is coming (and is already beginning) for the household of faith - He is perfecting our faith and making us ready for the end time harvest.

The Greater Covenant Cont'd

"Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!
Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (1 Cor 3:7-18)

The veil has been torn so that we might come into the very throne room. If Moses blinded the Israelites under the old covenant, how much more so should we be blinding those around us with the glory of the Lord? So how do we receive the Glory?

"A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven" (John 3:27)

"Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. 20 For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. 21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will." (John 5:19, 20)

We must take time to watch and pray - to see what our Father in Heaven is doing. It is by this careful watch that we are filled up. We should do nothing unless we have received from the Lord. I know for myself I am not walking in the "greater works", I myself am not seeing fully the marvelous things of the Lord, and I think it has to do with the striving in my own strength and th lack of watchfulness. Unless the Lord builds the house, we labor in vein. As we become less, He will become more - that is how the glory manifests. It is time to walk in our inheritance. Jesus said, "'My house will be called a house of prayer," but we have quite a ways to go before we get to the place where I would call his house a house of prayer. The glory will come through watching and praying.

Now is the time to get before Him on our knees and pray - to seek first His kingdom - and get rightly aligned with Him. When we do that, we will be a greater reflection of who He is, and the Kingdom of God will come to the earth in preparation for His return! Let's be as the wise virgins (Matt 25:1-13) and continue to fill our jars and watch for our Lord's return!