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CFM Publishing
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Unless otherwise identified, scripture references are New King James
Version (NKJV) 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Additional emphasis in the scripture quotations through bolding reflect
the authors added emphasis.
ISBN 978-0-9832084-2-6 (eBook)
ISBN 978-0-9832084-3-3 (Hardcover)
Copyright 2015 by Loren Covarrubias
Cover design by Grey Christian
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Dedication
I would like to dedicate this book to all of the women in ministry
who have been such an important part of these last day moves of
God. Women have always been at the forefront when moving into
new things in God. They have been willing to pioneer into the
realms necessary for the advancement of the kingdom of God. I
understand their importance having seen it first hand, as a pioneer,
who relied upon women willing to make the sacrifice and stand for
something unknown and uncertain. As women, God has made you
mothers, those who bring forth new life. I feel confident that
women will once again rise to the forefront of this great move as
we advance to another level in God.
Acknowledgements
As I share the insights of the New Day in God, I would also like
to acknowledge the history that has brought us to this point. Since
the inception of the United States, God has raised up godly people
who have inspired the church and impacted the nation. It started
with the First Great Awakening, with the emphasis on a personal
relationship to Jesus Christ; and continued with the Second Great
Awakening that led to the great Holiness Movement and the
Pentecostal outpouring. Since that time, God has been moving
upon His people and using them to impact a nation.
In 1948, there was a revival called by many the Latter Rain
Movement. In the Eastern part of the United States, the Bethesda
Missionary Temple in Detroit, Michigan, under the leadership of
M.D. Beall, became a well-known center in this revival. Sister Beall
understood the need to build on a revival with a strong church and
doctrinal foundation, so she shifted the churchs direction through
the word of the Lord to become a place of teaching and empowerment. Her obedience led to the preparation of her church and ministry to be an influential church during the charismatic movement
when many people hungered for teaching and instruction in the
Word. Her children, Patricia Beall Gruits and James Beall, wrote
many books and influenced many people.
As this revival spread, becoming the great Charismatic Renewal Movement, it impacted not just the churches, but the nations
of the earth. It was through this ministry that I was trained and empowered for the work I began in 1978. I would like to say: Thank
you Bethesda and the Beall family for your strong commitment to
the Holy Spirit and for understanding the necessity for instruction
in the Word of God. Thank you for the foundation that God has
built upon in my life.
Contents
Intr oduction xi
C ha pter One 15
ix
C ha pte r Se ven 95
Introduction
And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do
well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day
dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; (2 Peter 1:19)
I am writing this book from a prophetic perspective. I believe God has spoken to me to declare that this is a New Day. He
first spoke this to me in 2003. The prophet Isaiah when speaking
concerning the word going forth from the mouth of God said,
That it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater. To
me, this means that some times God speaks; and it is a word for
that moment or season of time. It comes as bread to feed us. Other
times when the word comes, it is to have a long-term impact that
will bear fruit in time. I have seen this over the last thirty-six years
as I have pastored a church. When the Lord first spoke this to me,
I began to prophesy it in a service at our church. It was a word that
stayed with me. It began to work first in my heart, then in our local
church, and now I believe God is saying to take it to the nations of
the earth.
In the early 1900s, the Pentecostal movement began. It was
accentuated by the Latter Rain Revival in the late 1940s that grew
into the charismatic renewal that seemed to spring forth in the
1960s. This has been an amazing time; and yet, I believe it is time
to move to another level. The last move has come to pass, and
now God is doing a new thing. Whenever God intends to move,
He always first reveals His plans to His servants the prophets.
Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. A lion has roared! Who will
not fear? e Lord GOD has spoken! Who can but prophesy?
(Amos 3:7-8)
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I feel the roar and cant help but prophesy and declare the
things God has given me for this time. I am not the only person encouraging a day of new things. Although not everyone is seeing
from the same perspective, I believe everyone who will tune in will
know there is a New Day dawning on the horizon; and we must
hear what the spirit is speaking to the churches. When the Lord
gave me this word He said, If my people want to receive the blessing of this New Day, they must open their hearts and spirits to me.
I am asking you to open yourself to what God is speaking, so you
can experience something fresh from God. I believe there are many
mindsets we must change. Therefore, after each chapter, I list a new
perspective we need to be open to. Whenever God moves in a significant way, there is an accompanying revelation of the Word.
Things that always were, now, begin to take on a new light. Part of
the change of perspective in this important time will be from a childish perspective into a mature one.
When I was a kid, my brother and I used to ride down a hill
in go-carts he made out of the crates we got from the grocery store.
I remember thrilling and scary rides down that big hill. When I was
older, I went back to the house and saw the hill. It wasnt much to
look at and certainly wouldnt provide a thrill for an older person,
but boy was it amazing when I was four.
When you grow up, everything takes on a new perspective if
you take time to survey the land. I believe it is time for the church
to survey the land, so to speak, and let our perspectives change so
our understanding and expectation can be adjusted upward. This is
an exciting time! Yet, it is also a perilous time in the world. God is
looking for a mature people and the world we live in needs us to be
everything God wants us to be. Along the way, you also will benefit as you let God give you new vision.
Jesus said, You cant put new wine in old wineskins or the
wineskins will burst and the wine will be lost. The wineskins that
need to change are the mindsets we have that will hinder Gods
move expanding and accelerating at this time. Many Christians are
praying for a breakthrough. Many are promising breakthroughs, yet
something is holding us back. If you want a breakthrough, chances
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In tro d u ct io n
are the first thing that needs to happen is for you to let the Holy
Spirit blow your mind!
Many of the things I am sharing with you have been revealed
over a long period of time. I would preach or teach it thinking I
had a full understanding only to have the Lord continue to expand
my thinking. An example of this is in 1994 when the Lord began
to speak to me that He wanted to reveal Himself to me as Father
God. I always knew God was my Father; yet, it literally took me
twenty years before I can say I fully understand what He wants me
to know.
I wrote a book on the subject in 2001. Though I had quite
a grasp on what He was saying, the word had to not only come as
food, it had to become a part of me. I can say I now understand
what the prophet meant when he said, . . . it was as sweet as
honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became
bitter. (Revelation 10:10) When the Word is working in you, the
challenge of the Word can be difficult. Like with Joseph, until
the time that his word came to pass the word of the Lord tested
him. But when the day of fulfillment comes, the day of trial begins to fade. Like Jesus said:
A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour
has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she
no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being
has been born into the world. erefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and
your joy no one will take from you. (John 16:21-22)
Many of you have also been in travail. Perhaps that is why you
are reading this book. I want you to know it is time to bring forth
the promise. It is time to bring to birth something new, and I trust
that what you read in this book will help you in your labor.
I want to make you understand that I am not just presenting
a prophetic word. I am proclaiming prophetic insight on the Scriptures. Whenever God moves in a fresh way, He gives insight to the
Scripture in a new way. As I proclaim the power of this New Day, I
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A New Awakening
will endeavor to show you the scriptural models that declare that
with God there is a third level or dimension to our experience with
Him.
My prayer is that God gives you revelation as you read.
Loren Covarrubias
xiv
C ha pte r One
A New Awakening
16
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the
churches . . . (Revelation 2:11)
Before we talk about what God is going to do, lets discuss
what He has been doing in recent times. The major movement of
the last 100 years has been the Pentecostal-charismatic Movement.
This wave came from the Holiness Movement that came from the
move preceding it. Early America was greatly influenced by what
was called the First Great Awakening. This movement began in the
years leading up to the Revolutionary War and was credited by
many as the catalyst for the war. This first revival stirred people to
understand they could have a personal encounter with God. This
was far different than the earlier experiences most people were familiar with.
In Europe, where most of the earliest settlers came from, most
countries had state churches. These churches were supported by the
states, and people were born not just in the country but into the
church. Many saw the church like the early history of the children
of Israel. You were born into the church through your family. The
families confirmed this through baptism. Most were baptized as infants following the admonition God gave to Abraham. The sign of
the covenant was circumcision and was to be administered by a
childs eighth day of life under the old covenant. The new covenant
initiation, baptism, would be administered in like manner through
the church; and your affiliation with the church was a birthright.
This concept was challenged by the Anabaptists who believed
only believers should be baptized. They also stood for the biblical
example of baptism, which was through immersion in water, rather
than the prevalent practice of sprinkling. The Anabaptist movement
flourished but did not have a state supported partner, so it was more
a popular movement than an established one. Many popular movements were led by people motivated to reform the established
church since most people saw this as the only pattern they knew.
When the New World began to be settled by Europeans, some saw
this as an opportunity to escape from religious persecution their different ideas brought to them. These people sowed the seeds for a
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A New Awakening
time of revival that would not only shape the thoughts of the people, but would become a great influence on the United States of
America.
Without the established state churches watching over the people, revival became a big time event in the New World. The emphasis in these revivals was that each person could have a personal
encounter with God. These revivals stirred the people in their walk
with God and made them want freedom from the future influence
of an established state church. The early American Christian wanted
the separation of church and state in order to allow each person to
get in touch with their call and destiny in God. Contrary to modern times, this concept was not to hinder Christianity but to release
it. No one would have been in favor of the separation of God from
country, but individual freedom to pursue God was very important.
This call for freedom from the state also set the groundwork
for the call for independence from Europe; hence, contributing to
the force of the early revolution and the Declaration of Independence in 1776. This is why it was called an awakening rather than
just a revival. It awakened and influenced the land. We need an
awakening today, not just a revival!
As the move of God stirred the country, a strong voice was
heard through many spokesmen of God seeking for the church and
the individual Christian to be everything God wanted them to be.
One man, who had a great influence on this country in this first
awakening, was John Wesley. Johns message of Christian perfection sowed the seed for the next revival, which was the Holiness
Movement. The Holiness Movement not only spoke of Christian
perfection, but spoke of a second work of grace. This second work
of grace would lead to an experience in the Holy Spirit. This laid the
groundwork for the Pentecostal-charismatic Movement.
The reason I wanted to share this brief review of the move of
God is so we could understand the need for progression and
change. The changes should not just prepare us for the times, but
should give us the ability to impact the times. This has been a constant throughout the history of the United States of America. The
country has changed, but the church has helped shape those
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19
A New Awakening
We are now living in another day when God is shaking everything that can be shaken. We must be very careful not to think
about the good old days, but we must be empowered for this day.
God is not the God of the past only. He is the God of today and tomorrow.
And He said to me, It is done! I am the Alpha and the
Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he
shall be My son. (Revelation 21:6-7)
The apostle John saw the finished work of God. He saw
something glorious and powerful instigated and completed by the
Almighty God. The capstone of His purpose is when the children
of God become the sons of God and learn to be an overcomer or
conqueror in this life. It is time! The former things have come to
pass. It is a New Day! The Pentecostal-charismatic moves have
run their course. It has been an amazing time, but God is saying it
is time to move forward.
Blow the trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm in My holy
mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the
day of the LORD is coming, For it is at hand: (Joel 2:1)
The Lord is going to move in an amazing way. As He shakes
everything that can be shaken, we must be aware of the reverberations.
A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick
darkness, Like the morning clouds spread over the mountains.
A people come, great and strong, e like of whom has never
been; Nor will there ever be any such aer them, Even for
many successive generations. (Joel 2:2)
This is why we, as the people God, must remember that what
God is doing may be totally opposite of what we see in the world.
20
As a matter of fact, in the day we are called to arise and shine, the
world will be covered with great darkness.
Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the
LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover
the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the LORD will
arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you. e Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of
your rising. (Isaiah 60:1-3)
God is looking for us to arise as the light of the world. The
world needs us as a guiding light. The term gross darkness in the
original words speaks of a heaviness or emotional distress. The way
of man leads to emotional distress and death. In these times, we are
called to be the healing balm of God to our world. It is time for the
church to arise and have an impact on our world!
I would like to emphatically declare that the Pentecostalcharismatic Movement has run its course. It is a New Day and
time for a new visitation and refreshing that will take us to another
level. This movement must be initiated by a fresh revelation of the
Word. Our theology forms the mindset that limits us from following God. When Jesus Christ came to the earth, He was the fulfillment of the expectation the people of God looked to for many
years. Yet when He came, their preconceived ideas created a world
Jesus couldnt fit into. What a sad story that when Jesus came to His
own, they rejected Him.
He was in the world, and the world was made through Him,
and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and
His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him,
to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those
who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of
the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John
1:10-13)
We must open our minds in this time to receive the fresh visitation from God. In the book of Isaiah 42:9, God admonishes the
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A New Awakening
22
A New Awakening
the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may
give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling,
what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the
saints, (Ephesians 1:15-18)
In order to be a messenger of revelation, it must first be imparted to you.
For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you
Gentiles if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of
the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by
revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have
briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may
understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which
in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it
has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and
prophets: (Ephesians 3:1-5)
As I mentioned earlier, not every person who has the apostolic
or prophetic ministry may call it that; yet, when God gives a person
revelation and they declare it to the people of God that is what it is.
From Martin Luther, who had a revelation of grace, to John Wesley, whose heart was strangely warmed and traveled countless
hours to share his experience, God has raised up this apostolic and
prophetic witness throughout the ages of church history. I come to
you with a word from God. I have been inspired, instructed, and
tested by this word of the New Day; and now I bring it to you. I do
not ask you to believe it because I say it but because it is clearly revealed in the Scriptures, and now I declare it to you. You can go to
the website of the church I pastor and see these things have a tangible expression. I hope to help you open your mind and heart to
a fresh move of God! Lets hear what God wants us to hear in this
present day move of God!
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C ha pte r Two
A New Awakening
Forty years earlier, when the children of Israel first encountered the Promised Land, they were afraid to take possession of the
land. They had sent spies ahead into the land, and they came back
with the report that there were giants in the land. When the people
heard there were giants in the land they said, We are like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight. This is an interesting verse because it is very true that people will see us as we see
ourselves. If you see yourself as a grasshopper before your enemies,
then they will certainly sense your fear and apprehension. Joshua
and Caleb were of a different spirit than the rest. When Joshua and
Caleb saw the giants, they saw a spiritual dinner.
But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh,
who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their
clothes; and they spoke to all the congregation of the children
of Israel, saying: e land we passed through to spy out is
an exceedingly good land. If the LORD delights in us, then
He will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land which
flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the
LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread;
their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is
with us. Do not fear them. And all the congregation said to
stone them with stones. Now the glory of the LORD appeared
in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel.
(Numbers 14:6-10)
Joshua and Caleb stood for the truth but were rejected by the
people. I am sure it was very disappointing that the people could not
see what they saw. Yet, God had Joshua and Caleb reserved for another day. They would one day be in a position to lead, but the time
was not yet. They had to be prepared for another day. Perhaps, even
this rejection was a part of their training.
As I share this word of the New Day, I know there are many
God has prepared for this time, to be a part of the training of others. You may have even been through a time of rejection. God wants
you to know this is just a part of your training; but in this day, be
28
bold and strong for the Lord is calling you for such a time as this.
Joshua and Caleb didnt respond the way Moses did nor the way the
people did, but the time would come when this experience would
be revealed as them having the spirit necessary for the New Day.
When God announced His judgment upon the children of Israel, the children of Israel would wander in the wilderness until all
the men of war died. Only Joshua and Caleb would be spared. They
would return as the leaders of the people who would go in and possess the land. God needed bold and strong people, and they would
be lead by strong leaders. Joshua would spend the next forty years
preparing for the time when He would assume the leadership of the
people. As the assistant to Moses, Joshua would lead the men of
war in the time of the wilderness judgment.
In 1972, I was invited to a place called the Prayer House. I
was seventeen at the time. I had been raised in a full gospel
church but had not entered the walk of the Spirit, although I had a
personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This Prayer House was a
Christian coffee house that was part of the Jesus People Movement.
This was a specific youth oriented ministry, part of the greater
charismatic movement. The charismatic movement had been recognized for about ten years at this time, but it was now becoming
a tidal wave that would sweep the world and bring in a great harvest to the kingdom of God.
The charismatic movement was a wave that came after the
Pentecostal Movement. Pentecostalism had reached millions; but
now with this next thrust of the Spirit of God, literally hundreds of
millions would be reached. I was filled with the Holy Spirit at the
Prayer House and received my call into the ministry. These were
amazing times when many great influential leaders and ministries
were raised up. At this time there was a great hunger for the Word,
especially instruction. Many teachers and teaching ministries were
raised up by God for the occasion.
For me and my family, this meant a connection to a church in
Detroit, Michigan about forty miles from our home. Through the
radio ministry of James Beall, we heard about the Bethesda Missionary Temple. Bethesda had been a voice during what was com29
A New Awakening
30
A New Awakening
followed the pattern of the past and did not obey God. The instructions from God may change because of the time and what God
wants to accomplish. We must listen to God and obey His words.
With God it is obedience that matters. Moses blamed his behavior
on the people. It was obvious from the past experience that God
could not have leadership that blamed the people for their actions.
He wanted leadership that would stand against the people if this
was necessary. Joshua and Caleb had already demonstrated this attribute. Unfortunately for Moses, his unwillingness to change excluded him from going into the Promised Land.
People do not easily accept change. Leadership that initiates
the change must be strong and able to handle adversity. When
Moses went to deliver them, the people were not willing participants because of the brokenness of their spirits. Although not necessarily willing to be delivered, the Lord brought the children of
Israel out with a mighty hand. Moses was the vessel of Gods miraculous provision. When it came time to go into the Promised Land,
the people had to be willing to fight for themselves. This required
a new focus for the leadership.
It is one thing to exercise faith when you dont have a choice,
but it is another thing to exercise faith as a choice. It takes a level of
maturity and strength to say, I will exercise faith even when I dont
have to. Most people only live in the level of faith that is necessary
for their need. For many this is just saving faith. The declaration
of this level of faith is: As long as I accept Jesus Christ as my personal
savior, I will be able to go to heaven when I die. Throughout my
life, I have found that Christians promoted this level of faith by
telling people to make the choice for Jesus so they wouldnt go to
hell. This why not believe has caused people to think it is okay to
have a single faith experience that they can settle on for the rest of
their lives. This is not what God says about those who are justified
by faith.
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to
faith; as it is written, e just shall live by faith. (Romans
1:17)
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A New Awakening
What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of
man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower
than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and
honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works
of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, (Psalms
8:4-6)
Like the writer of this Psalm, we might think it incredulous
God would have such a grand intent for man. We may even have developed a theology to reinforce this doubt. What would that theology be? We would think the history of man recorded in the Word
is a documentation of human failure and utter depravity and be convinced our only hope is a divine rescue. We should take note that
after the initial failure of mankind to live up to Gods intent, He
Himself declared that even in the midst of their failure He wanted
them to know that before history was over the seed of the woman
would indeed triumph over satan!
So the LORD God said to the serpent: Because you have
done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than
every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you
shall eat dust All the days of your life. And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman, And between your seed and
her seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His
heel. (Genesis 3:14-15)
This prophecy is confirmed in the book of the Revelation.
en I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now salvation,
and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of
His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who
accused them before our God day and night, has been cast
down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and
by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their
lives to the death. (Revelation 12:10-11)
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A New Awakening
37
A New Awakening
38
C hapter Three
A New Awakening
40
It s Tim e to Ar ise
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the
churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the
tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.
(Revelation 2:7)
To each of the seven churches John admonished the ones who
had an ear, to hear what the Spirit was speaking to the churches. As
Christians, we have to have an ear to hear what God is speaking to
the church. Just as it was true in the time of John, so it is true in our
day. Even though we have the ear, we must choose to hear, or listen, to what the Spirit is speaking to the church. God gives us this
ability through the Holy Spirit.
But as it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor
have entered into the heart of man e things which God has
prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them
to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes,
the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a
man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no
one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now
we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit
who is from God, that we might know the things that have
been freely given to us by God. (1 Corinthians 2:9-12)
The people in the time of Jesus Christ did not exercise their
spiritual perception to see what God was doing in the earth. As a
matter of fact, they not only did not receive Jesus Christ, they crucified Him.
However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet
not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who
are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a
mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the
ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew;
for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord
of glory. (1 Corinthians 2:6-8)
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A New Awakening
42
It s Tim e to Ar ise
This was the vision Ezekiel saw in the valley of dry bones.
What he saw was threefold in nature. As Ezekiel prophesied to the
dry bones, first, they came together; then, flesh and sinew was
added; and finally, the breath of God caused them to arise.
Also He said to me, Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of
man, and say to the breath, us says the Lord GOD: Come
from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain,
that they may live. So I prophesied as He commanded me,
and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon
their feet, an exceedingly great army. (Ezekiel 37:9 -10)
You may think youve already been made alive. This prophecy
is not to the individual, but to the body of Christ. This is the time
when the body will come together as an exceeding great army. The
work God will do in this time will truly cause us to live in His sight.
This literally translates to living before His face. This represents
another level of relationship with God which is much more personal
than we have known in the past. This may seem impossible for
many, but we must all prepare ourselves for a greater revelation of
God and His glory.
During the days I spent in the Pentecostal-charismatic Movement, I often heard sermons on Ezekiels army. We saw the exceeding great army rising to its feet. We were excited about being
a part of that army. Unfortunately, we misunderstood the third step.
Although we understood about coming alive and the power of revival, we did not understand what it took to rise up. Although we
experienced the coming together and the resurrection breath of the
living God, we had not understood the experience that was required
in this third level. This present move is more than just a revival.
In the past move, after we were made alive by the power of
the Holy Spirit, we would have revivals to keep the life we had received flowing. Revivals were wonderful but often didnt go anywhere. When you heard of great revivals, in time, they would run
out of gas; and we would be looking for the next move of revival
trying to figure out why the last one did not go on forever. The
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problem is that we didnt understand revival was not an end in itself. Revival comes so we can stand up to or for something. Once
we are made alive, we need to realize this experience has a purpose.
We shouldnt be trying to re-enact the same experiences over and
over, but we should be asking God what we are supposed to do with
the anointing He has laid upon us. This isnt the time for another
revival. This is a time to arise!
The prophet Isaiah had much to say about what God wants
to do in and through His people. The Bible is very clear that many
dark things will befall the earth in these latter days of time. But in
the midst of the great darkness of the time, we need to arise as never
before.
Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the
LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover
the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the LORD will
arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you. e Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of
your rising. (Isaiah 60:1-3)
This is a time when God wants the light of His Word to be
manifested in and through His people. The world needs us to be
who God has made us to be. We need to be both light and salt to
our world.
You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor,
how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be
thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the
light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a
lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let
your light so shine before men, that they may see your good
works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-16)
To walk in this level, will require maturity. To arise and shine
when gross darkness is all around us requires a high level of faith.
Not just faith, but faith perception. This means we are not just look44
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walk in the spirit and not the flesh. There is a big difference between a spiritual and a carnal response. We need to know the difference to understand what is motivating us.
I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust
of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit
against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so
that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are
led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of
the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions,
jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions,
heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like;
of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time
past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the
kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, selfcontrol. Against such there is no law. And those who are
Christs have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us
not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one
another. (Galatians 5:16-26)
It is time to have a present tense experience with the kingdom of God. When Jesus began His ministry, He spoke of the reality of the kingdom for the day. His message was the kingdom of
heaven is at hand. It is time to both see and enter the reality of the
kingdom.
When speaking about prophets, Jesus Christ spoke about the
importance of judging the prophet.
Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheeps clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know
them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes
or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit,
but a bad tree bears bad fruit. (Matthew 7:15-17)
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It s Tim e to Ar ise
sary because of the witness of the Word. Those of us who have experienced the Pentecostal-charismatic Movement know this isnt
true, but do we know what perfection we are looking for. God is
calling us to the place of perfection.
erefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles
of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward
God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this we
will do if God permits. (Hebrews 6:1-3)
What is perfection in this context? It is completeness or fullness that comes with maturity and the manifestation of fruit. This
is the time when God is saying, I am giving permits for completion
and fullness. This is the time for maturity as Christians. It is the
time for maturity in the ministry of the body of Christ. This maturity, or perfection, can only come through a process. It is a process
that even Jesus Christ Himself went through.
As He also says in another place: You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek; who, in the days of His
flesh, when He had oered up prayers and supplications, with
vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him
from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though
He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which
He suered. And having been perfected, He became the author
of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, (Hebrews 5:6-9)
This is the going on to that chapter six of Hebrews calls us
to. This process will produce the ministry of Melchizedek. This will
be the king-priest ministry that will truly transform the church and
bring forth a vital and powerful witness the world needs. It will be
a pro-active and powerful ministry that will impact the nations. It
will be the ministry that will release the greater things Jesus spoke
to His disciples about!
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spiritual perception will be essential to living out our Christian witness! The world needs us to arise in this day, and we will only be able
to do so with a New Day perspective.
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would raise us up, that we may live in His sight. (Hosea 6:2) It is
time to live in His sight!
In 1 Corinthians 13, we see that there is a progression of relationship and revelation of ourselves in the presence of God.
For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now
I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
(1 Corinthians 13:12)
Those who see His face will also see the opening and revelation of His glory.
is is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek
Your face. Selah Li up your heads, O you gates! And be
lied up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall
come in. Who is this King of glory? e LORD strong and
mighty, e LORD mighty in battle. Li up your heads, O
you gates! Li up, you everlasting doors! And the King of
glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? e LORD of
hosts, He is the King of glory. (Psalms 24:6-10)
Just like in the natural, so it will be in the spiritual. As children, we see our parents one way. When we mature, we begin to see
them in another way. I jokingly referred to this at a funeral by saying that we come into the world thinking our parents are gods.
When we become teens, they become satan, our adversary. When
we mature, we will begin to see them as just people.
There is a different progression with God. When we first
come to Him, we want Him to be what we want Him to be. Hopefully, as we mature we will let Him be who He really is; and in the
process, we will become who He wants us to be.
This is the time for the Jacob generation. Remember from
chapter 2, the Joshua generation is the leadership that will bring
forth the new generation who will take the Promised Land. I will
call the generation that is produced through the leadership of the
Joshua generation the Jacob generation. Jacob is significant to the
last day move of God. Isaiah said in the latter days of time the
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mountain of the Lords house would be established on the mountains and be exalted above the hills. People will say, Come and let
us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of
Jacob. (Isaiah 2:2-3) Jacobs God is the God who matures us and
brings us to our full identity in Him.
As I mentioned in the last chapter, this is what the Hebrews
6 admonition declares: Let us go on to perfection. This word
means completeness, or fullness. Jacob had a desire that motivated him to be very aggressive in seeking the blessing in life. The
Word says that one day he had a meeting with God; and in his struggle, what he desired was made possible.
So He said to him, What is your name? He said, Jacob.
And He said, Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but
Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and
have prevailed. (Genesis 32:27-28)
This meeting place with God was not an isolated event. It was
the culmination of a process he went through in his life experiences.
He had been through many struggles trying to find his place in life.
God met him in his struggles, and this made them more than just
a natural occurrence. By seeking God in his struggle, Jacob was able
to reach his full potential in life becoming perfected as Israel, a
prince with God and man. This is the picture for all of us in our development to the place of authority God wants to bring us to as a
nation of kings and priests to our God.
And they sang a new song, saying: You are worthy to take
the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have
redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and
tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and
priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth. (Revelation 5:9-10)
I believe many people in the world today, like Jacob, are being
prepared for this great day. God has been working through your
circumstances to bring you to the place of perfection or complete55
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ness in Him. The process involves struggle, both naturally and spiritually.
Jacob began his walk through seeking to get something out
of life he wanted. His name Jacob meant supplanter which means
to take something that belongs to someone else. Jacob had desires.
He didnt care what it took to get what he wanted, or who it hurt.
If you were in Jacobs life, he would do what he needed even when
it meant deception. This is how he stole his brothers blessing. He
deceived his father, Isaac, into thinking he was Esau so Isaac would
pray the family blessing over him. The result is he got what he
wanted, but his brother ran him out of town threatening to kill him
for what he had done. It was in his escape he had his first meeting
with God.
How wonderful our God is who meets us in our place of sin
to bring us to the place of righteousness and destiny. God came to
him at Bethel through a dream. Jacob saw a vision of the heavens
opening and the angels of God ascending and descending. He was
so amazed by what he saw that he made a sacrifice and a pledge to
God.
en Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, Surely the LORD
is in this place, and I did not know it. And he was afraid and
said, How awesome is this place! is is none other than the
house of God, and this is the gate of heaven! en Jacob rose
early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his
head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. And he
called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city
had been Luz previously. en Jacob made a vow, saying, If
God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going,
and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I
come back to my fathers house in peace, then the LORD shall
be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall
be Gods house, and of all that You give me I will surely give
a tenth to You. (Genesis 28:16-22)
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Notice how Jacobs initial experience with God is very selfcentered and conditional. It really describes for all of us our initial
experience with God. How can it be any different when we first
come to God? The very invitation to come is based on what God
will do for us. But God wasnt done with Jacob. He would use
Jacobs life experiences to develop him into the person He had
called him to be.
Jacobs journey took him to the house of his Uncle Laban.
When he gets to Labans house, he finds a person just like him. His
uncle is also a deceiver willing to use people and circumstances for
his own gain. One way God causes us to see ourselves is to put people in our lives that are just like us. If we dont like our family, we
should ask ourselves the question: Is the problem that I am just like
them? That is exactly what Jacob saw; although, the Scripture
never tells us if he recognized the person in the mirror. The deceptions began when Jacob made a deal to work for the hand of Rachel
only to be given her older sister, Leah, instead. As time continued,
Jacob was the victim of his uncles deception many times over.
So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field, to his
flock, and said to them, I see your fathers countenance, that
it is not favorable toward me as before; but the God of my father has been with me. And you know that with all my might
I have served your father. Yet your father has deceived me
and changed my wages ten times, but God did not allow him
to hurt me. (Genesis 31:4-7)
God rescued Jacob by giving him a dream. Jacob entered into
a business agreement with his uncle where at a given time all the animals of a certain color would go to him as wages. The others would
go to his Uncle Laban. He did this based upon a dream from God
as to what would happen in the future. Through a vision, Jacob received the power to overcome his uncle.
To me, this is very similar to our second experience with God
through the Holy Spirit. Through faith, we believe and receive
something from God in order to overcome our circumstance. In
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nounced to him He was the Almighty God, and Abraham was convinced what his God could do.
who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became
the father of many nations, according to what was spoken,
So shall your descendants be. And not being weak in faith,
he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was
about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarahs
womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God,
and being fully convinced that what He had promised He
was also able to perform. And therefore it was accounted to
him for righteousness. (Romans 4:18-22)
When Jacob experienced his change, it wasnt about what
God could do but who God was. This meeting place revealed the
face of God. This describes the difference between Moses, who was
the friend of God, and the children of Israel who in their immaturity were only looking for the God who would do something for
them.
He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children
of Israel. (Psalms 103:7)
The children of Israel were always demanding something
from God. The heart of Moses was to see Him in all His glory.
And he said, Please, show me Your glory. en He said, I
will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to
whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on
whom I will have compassion. But He said, You cannot see
My face; for no man shall see Me, and live. And the LORD
said, Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock.
So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in
the cle of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while
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I pass by. en I will take away My hand, and you shall see
My back; but My face shall not be seen. (Exodus 33:18-23)
What Moses wanted to see of the glory of God was the part
unseen. But notice God tells Moses, I will make My goodness pass
before you. In other words, there is the face of God which we
could almost describe as His pure energy that man cannot look
upon; but what can be seen of the face of God is the reality of who
He is.
Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai
(and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses hand
when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not
know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him.
So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come
near him. (Exodus 34:29-30)
After speaking with God, Moses had a glow that made the
children of Israel afraid. Out of their fear they wanted God to speak
to them through Moses. The children of Israel did not want to see
the face of God. There was a reason. They didnt want to have an
open mind; they didnt want to have an open heart. They wanted
to keep their hearts to themselves. They wanted to hide their hearts
from God. They wanted to let Him be their God, but they wanted
to keep Him at a distance. God is saying to His people today,
Dont be like the children of Israel. Get close to Him. Dont go
through another person to get to Him. God wants to have a personal relationship with you, and He wants you to know Him for all
that He is. Dont be afraid of Him. Come as close as you can. We
need to believe that when we draw close to Him, He will receive us.
When we want the glory of God, we have to want to see Him
for who He is and allow Him to see us for who we are. We cant
hide ourselves from Him anyway.
Both Moses and Jacob saw the face of God in Jesus Christ, a
reality we can all experience today.
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No one has seen God at any time. e only begotten Son, who
is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. (John
1:18)
There is a reality to what we see that is progressive and must
be revealed through the struggle of life. This is the amazing testimony of Job. Everyone knows of the trials of Job, but do we know
what it produced in him? You will probably say that he received
double after his trial was over. This is true, but it is only reflective
of what God will do. Job received something greater than what God
could do, for he saw Him for who He is.
I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of
Yours can be withheld from You. You asked, Who is this who
hides counsel without knowledge? erefore I have uttered
what I did not understand, ings too wonderful for me,
which I did not know. Listen, please, and let me speak; You
said, I will question you, and you shall answer Me. I have
heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees
You. erefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes.
(Job 42:2-6)
In the Pentecostal-charismatic Movement, we were very
much occupied by what God could do. Even in our teachings on
praise and worship, we often sought His presence for what it would
do for us. I often hear how in His presence is fullness of joy and
this is so true; but what about saying that in His presence we can see
God for who He really is? Often the greatest struggle for Christians
has been in looking for God to answer our prayers. We would be
filled with distress because we didnt understand Gods way of doing
things. Gods ways are not our ways.
For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways
My ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than
the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My
thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)
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greater understanding is seeing our identity in God. Through baptism, we are called to change our identity from the old person and
identities we had, to a new creation in Christ Jesus.
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For
as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on
Christ. ere is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave
nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one
in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christs, then you are Abrahams seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians
3:26-29)
The concept of the sons of God is actually quite different
than in the old covenant. They were not called the sons of God,
but the children of Israel. The difference is quite significant because
it indicates how God wants to deal with us. In the new covenant,
God wants to change our hearts and our minds and give us a new
spirit.
Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have
committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.
For why should you die, O house of Israel? (Ezekiel 18:31)
With a change on the inside, will come a change of identity
and a change in our relationship to God.
But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth
His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem
those who were under the law, that we might receive the
adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent
forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, Abba,
Father! erefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if
a son, then an heir of God through Christ. (Galatians 4:4-7)
In this New Day it is time for the new creation to come forth,
the Jacob generation!
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When Jacob had his third level meeting place with God, it
was life-changing. God blessed him and called his name Israel. The
name Israel means a prince or one who has authority. It
brought the natural man Jacob to his divine name of destiny
through his relationship and experience with God. It should be
noted in this experience Jacob left with a limp. He was forever
marked through his experience in which he saw God face to face.
The Pentecostal-charismatic image of God was shaped to be
approachable and comfortable. We loved to call Him our Friend
and relished in the idea of being the bride of Christ. These are all
appropriate and important in our development; but now, it is time
to see the glory of God. We need an image of God that is a reality
in who He is that will make us uncomfortable and challenge us but
which will also form us into sons with the authority He wants us to
have! Instead, we often choose an image that fits us.
This is where 1 Corinthians 13:12 comes in. It says as we see
God face-to-face, I will know just as I am also known. To truly
see the face of God, we must know who we are. Throughout history, man has conformed God to our image rather than understanding we are to be conformed to His image.
And we know that all things work together for good to those
who love God, to those who are the called according to His
purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be
conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. (Romans 8:28-29)
The word conform means jointly formed. As we walk in a
true relationship with Jesus Christ, we will be formed through our
joining with Him. All mankind was created in the image of God.
But when Christ comes to live in us, we are not just alive; we have
the Life-Giving Spirit in us. This completes the identity; however,
it must be worked out so each of us demonstrates that image in the
spiritual through our own human nature that God has given us.
This process brings forth the Israel, or ultimate destiny. It was easy
in our Pentecostal-charismatic days to conform God and His Word
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to us; but in these days, God is calling us to let Him form us and to
let Him be who He is. Then we can see Him as He is and ourselves
as we were meant to be!
New Perspective: Jacob represents the new creation. Jacob fulfilled
his destiny in what he did, but also in what he became. Jacob
became Israel. He didnt know who he was until he found who he
was in God. We often struggle with God seeking to gain His favor.
Ultimately, as a mature Christian, we must struggle to see clearly
the face of God and receive the blessing of Jacob in order to clearly
become what God has intended us to become. God doesnt just
want to work for us; He wants to work in us.
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For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and
not the very image of the things, (Hebrews 10:1)
It also gives us a visible picture of the heavenly realm.
who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as
Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the
tabernacle. For He said, See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain. (Hebrews 8:5)
This understanding gives us insight into the reason God had
the children of Israel come before the Lord three times a year. We
need to understand these things and how they relate to us in the
New Testament. The people would present themselves to the Lord.
It is important, as Christians, that we understand that we also need
to present ourselves to the Lord in three distinct ways. This pattern
has slowly been revealed to the church in recent church history and
should be observed in the context of Gods eternal plan.
It wasnt too long ago in church history, that God restored
the concept of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. For most
of the history of the church after the apostolic age, Christianity was
more a religious experience one was born into rather than a new
birth experience. How they missed this in history is a wonder because Jesus made it very clear that the new birth was a necessary
part of our entrance into the kingdom of God.
Jesus answered, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is
born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of
God. at which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which
is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you,
You must be born again. e wind blows where it wishes,
and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes
from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the
Spirit. (John 3:5-8)
The historical church held on to this concept in a measure. For
the church, the pattern of the Old Testament was followed. For ex68
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spared the plague of death that befell the Egyptians. Jesus Christ
celebrated the Passover meal on the night He was betrayed. He instituted a continuing commemoration of this celebration in the New
Testament through the Lords Supper.
And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to
them, saying, is is My body which is given for you; do this
in remembrance of Me. Likewise He also took the cup aer
supper, saying, is cup is the new covenant in My blood,
which is shed for you. (Luke 22:19-20)
For us today, Passover represents our experience with the
blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, when we accept His sacrifice for our sins. The children of Israel escaped the death angel; and
through the blood of Jesus Christ, we receive eternal life and escape the judgment of death that has passed upon mankind because
of the sin of Adam. Whenever we celebrate the Lords Supper, we
are also celebrating the gift of life Jesus gave to us through the sacrifice of His life for us. For the children of Israel, the celebration of
the Passover kept them always in remembrance of the blessing God
had given them.
We, the people of God in the New Testament, are called to
have the same diligence in keeping our mind fixed on what the Lord
has done for us through the gift of eternal life. For us today, as with
the children of Israel, there must be an understanding of the need
to lay a good foundation in our lives. We must keep it relevant and
vital but also be willing to move on in God!
For the children of Israel, this meant the celebration of the
Festival of Pentecost. Pentecost came very quickly, only 50 days
later, but was still a required experience for the people of God. After
the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, on the Day of Pentecost, the
Holy Spirit fell upon the 120 who were waiting in the upper room
with expectation for the move of God. For the Old Testament people of God, this experience played a vital part in their experience, as
it should for us in the New Testament church.
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tism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come aer him, that is, on Christ
Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name
of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the
Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues
and prophesied. (Acts 19:2-6)
These scriptures make it clear we need to have an ongoing
and progressive relationship with God. We also need to adjust our
theology and mindsets, when necessary, to receive all God has for
us. This is why I am writing this book and encouraging the people
of God to understand God is calling us to another level or dimension in Him. For the children of Israel, it was announced to them
through a memorial of the blowing of the trumpets. The blowing
of the trumpets is symbolic of the prophetic declarations from God.
Cry aloud, spare not; Li up your voice like a trumpet; Tell
My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob their
sins. (Isaiah 58:1)
Blow the trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm in My holy
mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the
day of the LORD is coming, For it is at hand: (Joel 2:1)
I am coming to you as a prophet blowing the trumpet of
warning and admonition. We are living in perilous times. We need
to hear the voice of God strong and clear so we do not miss what
God is doing by looking at the world through the lens of the natural mind. The kingdom of God is not visible to the human eye.
Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom
of God would come, He answered them and said, e kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they
say, See here! or See there! For indeed, the kingdom of God
is within you. (Luke 17:20-21)
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Since the kingdom of God does not come with human observation, we need the eyes of the spirit and the prophetic voice.
The world is clearly visible and tempting. We must be on our guard
to be a part of what God is doing! We dont just want to avoid the
temptation of the world; we need to be fully aware of the kingdom,
so we can have the inner work that makes it possible to navigate the
times with the power of the kingdom within.
for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans
14:17)
How can you respond to this call? You respond by opening
your heart to God, so you can receive what God has for you. There
are some very significant aspects to the Feast of Tabernacles that are
important for us to know and experience. This festival took place in
the seventh month. Seven in the Scriptures is very important as a
number symbolizing completion. It was the number of the creation,
which is very important to the work of God. Seven represents the
fullness of the work of God.
For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said:
So I swore in My wrath, 'ey shall not enter My rest, although the works were finished from the foundation of the
world. For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh
day in this way: And God rested on the seventh day from all
His works; and again in this place: ey shall not enter My
rest. Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and
those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of
disobedience, (Hebrews 4:3-6)
The seventh day of the creation was the day God rested from
His labors. This was not just a day off. It signified the finished work
of God. Verse ten of this chapter tells us that those who enter the
rest of God have ceased from their labors as God did from His.
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The third feast was a festival of rest. On the Day of Atonement, which was part of this festival, the day is called a Sabbath of
Sabbaths. This festival of the seventh month includes four days of
Sabbath ending with the Sabbath of the eighth day. The eighth day
would symbolize the day of new beginnings since it follows the
course of the normal week. Much of the symbolism of this festival
speaks to us of the finished work of Christ on the cross and the new
beginning it provides for us. The Day of Atonement was the day the
blood of the lamb was sprinkled on the mercy seat atoning for the
sins of the nation. When Jesus Christ sprinkled His blood on the
heavenly mercy seat, it was the final and sufficient sacrifice for all sin.
But this Man, aer He had oered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one oering
He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. (Hebrews 10:12-14)
However, we must recognize there is still something we need
to experience as typified by this feast.
and again in this place: ey shall not enter My rest. Since
therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to
whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, again He designates a certain day, saying in David,
Today, aer such a long time, as it has been said: Today, if
you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts. For if
Joshua had given them rest, then He would not aerward
have spoken of another day. ere remains therefore a rest
for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has
himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. (Hebrews 4:5-10)
One day the children of Israel took possession of the land of
their inheritance. Unfortunately, they never held on to their land.
Why? They never entered the reality of what God had for them.
This is also seen in the Pentecostal-charismatic Movement. How
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leading. This sounds good to us; but it would really only give us
the opportunity to follow the mistakes of the children of Israel who,
although they received the promise of the land, they did not receive
the power to keep it. To go to the place of rest, we must cease from
our own labors to follow Christ. This requires an inner trust and
peace that only the Lord Himself can give to us. This will require
us to let God dress us and take us wherever He desires. This is
when we come to the place in our relationship with God where we
truly love Him as He desires.
This concept was also revealed in the Day of Atonement.
Throughout the year, the people of God brought sacrifices to the
priests. The Day of Atonement was different. This day was about
the sins of the nation, not the individual. On this day, all the people stood before the Lord as the high priest brought the blood offering to the mercy seat to atone for the sins of the people. This day
was not about the individual. It was about the people. This was the
celebration made when the restored temple was reconstructed after
the return from the captivity of Babylon. On this day, the people
stood as one man before the Lord.
It was very easy with a charismatic mindset to be armed with
the tools for a self-centered life. Even many ministries arising in
those days featured ministries aggrandizing people rather than God.
How many times have you heard people say something about my
ministry? This often reminds me of the child who lovingly says
my mommy or my toy. It might seem precious that your child
is claiming you, but it is really a declaration of ownership more than
one of affection. They own you like they own their toys! Sometimes
we are like that with God. We want to own Him and the toys He
has given us. Church . . . it is time to grow up!
For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that
which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be
done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a
man, I put away childish things. (1 Corinthians 13:9-11)
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One day the disciples of Jesus Christ asked Him to teach them
to pray. He taught them what we call the Lords Prayer, or the
Our Father. It is significant that Jesus taught them to pray with
the opening words Our Father. With this opening, the whole
prayer is set in a direction. Once we pray our Father, then we also
must pray about our daily bread; forgiving our debts; not leading us into temptation; and finally, delivering us from evil. I
suppose you get the point. When not praying for the kingdom, we
are praying a corporate prayer leaving our personal concerns to God
and carrying every burden with a concern for others. This was the
emphasis of the Day of Atonement. All the people gathered together on this day. The high priest went into the Holy of Holies for
the whole congregation. This was a shared burden with a shared
blessing. The people of God need to understand the importance
and power of the shared burden.
Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are
spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one anothers burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks
himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. (Galatians 6:1-3)
The blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross represents the
blood poured on the mercy seat on the Day of Atonement. This
blood of sprinkling provides the way for us to go boldly into the
throne of grace. We can go with full assurance, but we should not
see ourselves on this journey alone. This is what Hebrews 10 speaks
about.
erefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by
the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having
a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a
true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure
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water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider
one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner
of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more
as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:19-25)
This festival makes us understand our commitment to the
body of Christ. We must not just consider ourself, but also one another. As the day of the Lord is approaching, we must stir up each
other by encouraging each other to get to the house of God; to
love one another; and to do the works that will bring glory to our
Father.
This festival was a celebration of the great end of the year harvest. For us, we need to see this as the time for the great end of
time harvest. Just as we should consider one another in the house
of God, we should also be mindful of why Jesus Christ died.
I am the good shepherd. e good shepherd gives His life for
the sheep. (John 10:11)
In the context of this statement, Jesus is talking about the
sheep who are not yet in the fold. They are His and dont know it
yet. Jesus willingly died so His sheep in every nation of the world
would have an opportunity to know Him. We must do the same. We
must commit ourselves to the harvest and give what it takes to bring
it in. Jesus didnt just do what He had to do. Jesus willingly offered
Himself for the sake of the lost.
erefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life
that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it
down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have
power to take it again. is command I have received from
My Father. (John 10:17-18)
We all must willingly give ourselves to the command of the
Father given through Jesus Christ to Go into all the world, preach
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fense to God, but because for him it was a personal rejection. God
set his thinking in order and authorized the change in leadership.
But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, Give us a
king to judge us. So Samuel prayed to the LORD. And the
LORD said to Samuel, Heed the voice of the people in all
that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they
have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that
I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day with
which they have forsaken Me and served other gods so they
are doing to you also. (1 Samuel 8:6-8)
God is a merciful God. Even when we reject His way, He so
often journeys with us on our chosen walk; yet certainly, not protecting us from the error of our way. God warned them of the
problems of their choice but still walked them through the process.
God would now commission Samuel to anoint a king over the
people.
Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear the day before Saul
came, saying, Tomorrow about this time I will send you a
man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him
commander over My people Israel, that he may save My people from the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon
My people, because their cry has come to Me. (1 Samuel
9:15-16)
Samuel began to minister to Saul, so that he would have a
spiritual encounter to prepare him for the work God had for him.
Sauls father, Kish, had sent him on a journey to find some lost donkeys. Saul wasnt looking for God; he was looking for donkeys! This
is a fitting description for most of us when we find God or the call
He has for us. Were not looking for God, but He is looking for us
because He has chosen us for His glory. Saul sought out the prophet
thinking the prophet could help him find what he was looking for.
God gave Samuel a plan for Saul where his life would be changed.
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resisting the will of God. Sometimes they seemed like good ideas
and good intentions, but it wasnt what the Lord was looking for.
In the end, Saul lost out with God because He thought God would
accept his best in exchange for what God wanted. This was not
going to be the case.
So Samuel said: Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the
fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcra, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from
being king. (1 Samuel 15:22-23)
From the ashes of Sauls fall came Gods announcement of a
new day and a new leader. This leader would be different. God wasnt just looking for obedience; He wanted someone who had a heart
for Him.
And Samuel said to Saul, You have done foolishly. You have
not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which
He commanded you. For now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. e LORD has sought for Himself a
man aer His own heart, and the LORD has commanded
him to be commander over His people, because you have not
kept what the LORD commanded you. (1 Samuel 13:13-14)
Now it was time for Samuel to anoint a new king. God sent
him to the house of Jesse. It was a dangerous mission because Saul
was so carnal he would have done whatever necessary to preserve his
reign. When Samuel went to the house of Jesse, he thought he immediately recognized the new king. Jesses eldest son, like Saul, appeared to be a natural for the role of king. Samuels first impression
was surely this is Gods anointed. God warned Samuel not to follow his natural inclinations. God was looking for something different.
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But the LORD said to Samuel, Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him.
For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the
outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. (1
Samuel 16:7)
Davids life would exemplify the second dimension of the
place God wants to take us.
Just as I have mentioned before concerning the second work
of grace emphasized by the Holiness and Pentecostal-charismatic
Movements, Davids life took a step beyond the walk of Saul. In
Davids life, we see some important biblical truths we need to walk
in that will allow us to go beyond our initial conversion experience. This example is seen immediately with David, whose life
would exemplify the anointed life. David had talent and abilities, but he also had an anointing that would refresh and bring life
to people.
And so it was, whenever the (distressing) spirit from God was
upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his
hand. en Saul would become refreshed and well, and the
distressing spirit would depart from him. (1 Samuel 16:23)
David was a man that loved the presence of God. As a skilled
musician, he created a praise experience around the presence of God
that was a figure of the motivation during the Pentecostal-charismatic Movement. His life exemplifies something God spoke He
would do during the new covenant.
On that day I will raise up e tabernacle of David, which
has fallen down, And repair its damages; I will raise up its
ruins, And rebuild it as in the days of old; at they may possess the remnant of Edom, And all the Gentiles who are called
by My name, Says the LORD who does this thing. (Amos
9:11-12)
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To understand this prophecy, one needs to go to 1 Chronicles chapter 16 or 2 Samuel chapter 6. David loved the presence of
God; so when He became the king over all the house of Israel and
set up his throne in Jerusalem, he sent for the ark of the covenant.
The ark was the place of the mercy seat set up in the Most Holy
Place of the tabernacle of Moses and the future temple of Solomon.
For a man who loved the presence of God, this would be the most
precious piece of furniture because it represented the place of the
manifest presence of God. When he sent for the presence, he found
out how holy the presence of God was. As they were transporting
the ark, it started to fall. When a man reached out to stop it, he was
struck dead because the ark was too holy for human hands to
touch.
Even when someone has the right motivation, one must still
be careful when handling the presence of God. This is most certainly why God moved through the Holiness Movement before fully
pouring His presence upon the earth. We should not take the term
Holy Spirit lightly, as David found out when he first sought for
the presence.
Once the fear factor was settled and the need for order understood, David brought the ark of the covenant to the Holy City.
There was music, dancing, and great excitement; and David led the
processional dancing before the Lord with all his might. The
Scripture says that his wife, Michal, despised David in her heart; and
because of this she became barren.
There was a tent pitched around the ark at its resting place;
hence, the name was the tabernacle of David. David set an order to
the worship around the tabernacle, or tent, which many see as an example of the praise God wants in the new covenant church. It was
more than that. In Acts chapter 13, the elders declared it to be the
access God would give to all people when the door of salvation was
opened for the Gentiles.
Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles
to take out of them a people for His name. And with this the
words of the prophets agree, just as it is written: Aer! this I
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God has a place of peace and rest He wants to take us to. God
wants a resting place. How can He rest in a place of turmoil?
For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His
dwelling place: is is My resting place forever; Here I will
dwell, for I have desired it. (Psalm 132:12-14)
This is the place of rest the book of Hebrews talks about
where someone has ceased from their labors as God has from His.
I will talk more about this in another chapter. Now we want to talk
about the heart of Solomon.
When Solomon began his reign the Lord came to him and
said, Ask! What shall I give you? Solomons response set the
tone for his reign.
Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and
come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours? en God said to Solomon: Because this was
in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or
honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life
but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that
you may judge My people over whom I have made you king
(2 Chronicles 1:10-11)
In this third dimension day, God is calling a people who are
not self-centered, but God centered. Solomon didnt ask for himself. More telling was that he asked for something that would make
him a blessing to the people. In the second level of experience, faith
and blessing are often self-centered. When we think about Abraham, the father of our faith, we should remember God didnt just
promise to bless him; He promised to make him a blessing.
I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make
your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those
who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in
you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. (Genesis
12:2-3)
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is the second work of grace through the work of the Holy Spirit.
This phase looks like the time for the fruit, but it is actually just the
framework for the fullness. Finally, the fullness comes when the full
fruit develops in the head. This is the season we are now in. This is
the season when the Father God, creator of all things, will be looking with expectation for the fruit of the earth. This is significant for
the third level we are walking in.
The final and third festival of the year was also called the fruit
harvest.
Also on the fieenth day of the seventh month, when you
have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast
of the LORD for seven days; on the first day there shall be a
sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest. (Leviticus
23:39)
I wanted to touch on this aspect separate from the others because it is uniquely important for this time. When thinking about
the harvest, as Christians, we typically think about the people who
will be brought into the kingdom. This mindset fit the age when the
church saw salvation simply as people being saved from hell and
being given the opportunity to go to heaven. This is not Gods only
hope for the world.
Gods eternal purpose is the same as it was in the beginning.
He created man in His image and likeness and told them to take
dominion of all the works of His hands. The failure of man, in the
beginning, does not signal Gods willingness to lower His expectation for us. It simply shows us that God has a long-range plan that
will one day be fully consummated. We are a part of that plan. We
are not just people to populate heaven, but Gods sons to have dominion over His creation. Even in heaven, we will be rewarded with
authority based on what we have done here on earth.
So he who had received five talents came and brought five
other talents, saying, Lord, you delivered to me five talents;
look, I have gained five more talents besides them. His lord
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said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant; you were
faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many
things. Enter into the joy of your lord. He also who had received two talents came and said, Lord, you delivered to me
two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides
them. His lord said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make
you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.
(Matthew 25:20-23)
The harvest that God is looking for is a harvest of people who
will bring forth His glory on the earth. He has always looked for His
people to be a fruitful people. One way this is described is by speaking of us as a vineyard that needs to bring forth fruit. He spoke this
way through Isaiah, the prophet, when speaking of the children of
Israel.
Now let me sing to my Well-beloved A song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard: My Well-beloved has a vineyard On a
very fruitful hill. He dug it up and cleared out its stones, And
planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in its midst,
And also made a winepress in it; So He expected it to bring
forth good grapes, But it brought forth wild grapes. (Isaiah
5:1-2)
God has made an investment in His people, and He expects
a return on His investment. Harvest time is a time when God is
looking for the fruit of His labor. He has been diligently looking at
His field and has with patience invested just like a farmer does.
erefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.
See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth,
waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter
rain. (James 5:7)
We are living in the days of the latter rain. God is sending
down the rains with an expectation. He has done His part, and now
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the fire falls, they think. This isnt what the Word says about the
fiery presence.
Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each ones work will become
clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by
fire; and the fire will test each ones work, of what sort it is. If
anyones work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyones work is burned, he will suer loss;
but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. (1
Corinthians 3:12-15)
The baptism of fire is distinct from the baptism of the Holy
Spirit, but it is a part of the work of Jesus Christ.
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who
is coming aer me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not
worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and
fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat
into the barn; but He will burn up the cha with unquenchable fire. (Matthew 3:11-12)
A lot of churches have been in the time of the fiery presence
and think they are under a curse. God wants you to know that the
problems you have faced will, in the end, produce His divine purpose and plan in your life! As noted in these scriptures, loss is a part
of Gods plan that leads to a greater blessing and fulfillment for your
life. After the fire, comes the renewal of new things. Seeds buried
under the ground for a long time, will begin to spring forth from
the earth. Like a forest after a fire, the devastation will be covered
by the new life. This is another way of describing the pruning
process. This pruning comes through the fire. Where the Scripture
says we are saved by fire, many people see this scripture as one describing a person who has lost everything; but at least they still get
to go to heaven. It actually means the fire burns away the unnecessary and unfruitful making what remains much more effective. The
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fire saves you from the clutter that would hinder what God wants
to do.
Finally, I take note that the celebration of the third festival
follows not just the harvest, but the processing of the fruits of the
harvest.
You shall observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days, when
you have gathered from your threshing floor and from your
winepress. (Deuteronomy 16:13)
The seed, used in the illustration we began this chapter with,
and the grapes would go through the process of becoming wine;
bread; or whatever else the people had a use for.
In 1977, at the tender age of 23, I was confronted with the
call of God to start a church. Many people recognized this call, and
I felt it; but I was concerned with the timing. I sought the Lord, and
He spoke to me. He said, I will make you a vessel of the new wine;
and I will give you a people out of which will flow the wine of the
Lord, multiplication and increase, multiplication and increase. I
felt a strong unction with these words; and yet, was uncertain as to
what they meant.
As I inquired of the Lord, He told me there would come a day
when there would be intense pressure on the earth. He would have
a prepared people for this time. They would be a fruitful people.
The pressure of the time would act as a winepress producing the
wine of the Lord. This wine would be the help for the time, not
only for the people of God, but for the nations of the earth.
I believe we are in that time, and this is why I bring this word
to you. We cannot get caught up in the conflict of the time, but we
must see our fruit as the refreshment for the time. Wherever you
are and whatever you are doing, you must know who you are and
what God has given you to give to others. Even if you are in the
winepress, know that it will produce life for you and for others. If
you are on the threshing floor, dont give up; you will soon be bread
to eat. You will be life, and your life will be food for you and for others. The level of fruitfulness, as noted above, depends on the level
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of your heart commitment. Some will bring forth thirty, some sixty,
and some a hundredfold. Your choice is what will make the difference!
New Perspective: As we focus on the end of time, we need to be
looking for the same things God is looking for. God is looking for
the fruit of the church, the branches on the vine of Christ. It is true
that the vine of the earth will also ripen, showing the evil of its
roots. But we, the people of God, must focus on what God is
looking for in the church and in us personally. Have you set your
goal to be a fruit-bearing branch on the vine of Christ?
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cast away eir cords from us. He who sits in the heavens
shall laugh; e LORD shall hold them in derision. en He
shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His
deep displeasure: Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of
Zion. (Psalm 2:2-6)
The reason this statement needs to be made is because oftentimes we lose sight of the reality of God and His authority that He
has given to His Son, Jesus Christ. It is so sad when Christians join
the chorus of the world in thinking that a politician, or even the
devil, has the ability to threaten God or His anointed.
Do you know you also are anointed of God? You can never
walk in the reality of that knowledge if you are not fully persuaded
as to where all authority originates. To confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord to the glory of the Father should also be a part of our first experience in God. When we see lordship as the initial aspect of our
experience, we will understand more fully the fact that this begins
a work in us that is only consummated when we have experienced
it in its fullness.
For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by
whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make
the captain of their salvation perfect through suerings. For
both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are
all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them
brethren, saying: I will declare Your name to My brethren; In
the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You. And again:
I will put My trust in Him. And again: Here am I and the
children whom God has given Me. (Hebrews 2:10-13)
As the children of God who are in a process of sanctification
or separation for the work God has for us, we should recognize our
need to continue in God. Ezekiel saw the river flowing which had
a great impact wherever it went. Water symbolizes the Holy Spirit,
which God sends forth to give life. This life giving river is what
Ezekiel saw.
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their fruit will not fail. ey will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. eir fruit will
be for food, and their leaves for medicine. (Ezekiel 47:12)
This is a picture of a people who not only have something to
say, but something to minister. Their lives have become a source of
healing and food for the world around them. This is why we need
a paradigm shift. We must understand that God wants to produce
something in us that will provide life for others. The river of life did
not just come to refresh you but to be a source of life that should
manifest in you. Many charismatic Christians are stuck in the river
stage and will not go to the next level. The refreshing of the Holy
Spirit is so wonderful you just want to repeat the experience. We
have full-time revivalists whose sole ministry is to recreate our spiritual experiences when God wants to take you forward.
I was once invited to attend a revival service. I was told this is
what God was doing. They said that you must get in this refreshing
if you want the blessing of God in your life. I went with an open
mind but realized this was nothing new. It was the same experience
but with different songs and style. The Pentecostal experience came
to make us aware of Gods spirit and also our own. When a person
receives the baptism of the Spirit with speaking in other tongues for
the first time, one has an awareness of their human spirit. How is
that? When we receive the baptism with speaking in other tongues,
it is our human spirit that does the talking.
For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. (1 Corinthians 14:14)
Because it is my spirit that prays, I have to bypass the mind in
order for this to happen. It is this uncomfortable place that causes
many people to reject the experience or to have difficulty relating to
it. It is a stumbling block for many who cannot live outside the mind
realm.
The early Pentecostals spent much time getting outside themselves believing that this should be the goal of the whole experi-
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tree must be planted. It will draw strength and life from the river,
but it will certainly need to draw life from the ground minerals.
How do we do this? We do it by understanding the balance of a
Word-centered life. The blessed person will always understand the
need for the Word.
Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of
the scorn ful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And
in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water, at brings forth its fruit in its
season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he
does shall prosper. (Psalm 1:1-3)
The Word sets order to our lives. The Word prepares us for
the blessing of God by giving us a structure to live in. It is also
through the Word we are able to give structure to our services; so
they are not under the control of the human spirit, satisfying the
emotional desires of people and not giving us the life we need.
There is only one way to discern between the soul and the spirit, and
that is through the Word of God.
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than
any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul
and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of
the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature
hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to
the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews
4:12-13)
The Word will expose the hidden places in our hearts and spirits that can be a hindrance to the work of God in our midst. Many
of the swimmers in the charismatic movement gather with groups
who are not grounded in what the Word has to say. They hear counsel, but not Word-centered counsel. Often scorners are in the midst
of these groups talking about the poor souls who dont look for or
see the great spiritual things they see; but yet, these same people do
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not see their own need for constant spiritual highs. Although they
may talk about the need for fivefold ministry, they rarely submit to
it. It is time for change. Let him who has an ear, hear what the Spirit
is saying to the churches.
Dont get me wrong. I love a spirit-filled life and the spiritfilled service where you can sense God moving among us. At Mt
Zion Church, we have both a weekly service where the moving of
the Spirit of God is evident in our midst and a weekly miracle, healing service. However, I understand how important the Word is to
bring us into the order of God. Whereas the charismatic movement
often emphasized gifts that flow through you, it often did not emphasize what the Spirit wants to do in you. The third level Christian
understands the level the Spirit works through them will be limited
by how it works in them.
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above
all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in
us, (Ephesians 3:20)
This is so important if we are to bring forth fruit that will feed
the nations. It will take more than the Spirit to bring healing to the
nations. It will take the Spirit working in and through us. The trees
Ezekiel saw had leaves that were healing. Some will think I am
downsizing the power of God. How can I say that we can limit
God? It is not because God cant; it is because He wont. It is His
plan from the beginning to make us part of the equation. Spiritual
authority isnt just about the power of God. It is about the authority He gives to us. If you dont believe me, ask the seven sons of
Sceva.
en some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had
evil spirits, saying, We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul
preaches. Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief
priest, who did so. And the evil spirit answered and said,
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Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you? (Acts
19:13-15)
How does the Spirit work in us? It accomplishes its work
through the channel of the Word of God. The path to the development of spiritual fruit and a renewed mind comes through abiding in the Word. This Word abiding walk will produce the fruit
God is looking for and what the world is hungry for.
I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me,
and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do
nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a
branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw
them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me,
and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire,
and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified,
that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. (John
15:5-8)
God wants His people to have fruit for the nations. This is
the wisdom that will bring in the great harvest.
e fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins
souls is wise. (Proverbs 11:30)
We are living in a day when great conflict will be upon the nations of the earth. We not only need to be planted in a church and
in the Lord but we need to be the source of stability in the world
that is being shaken at its very core. The trees of the Lord will be
able to do this. The inner confidence we have from God will anchor us as we minister to the world in the midst of great distress.
Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope
is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear
when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be
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things. The emphasis on gifts and gifted people actually led to much
division and conflict. People had become followers of gifted people
rather than following the proper patterns of church government.
The apostle Paul wrote these letters to set things in order. Paul himself had come under intense scrutiny as the people thought the Holy
Spirit and gifts put them above order. They became self-centered
in their actions rather than being people of the Word.
Due to the focus today on the works of the Spirit, Pentecostals and charismatic Christians need to understand the call of the
Christian is to be a follower of Christ, not a follower of gifts. The
Scripture says, These signs shall follow them who believe; but unfortunately, many who believe have become followers of signs!
Since our experience with the Holy Spirit is more subjective than
objective, many spirit-filled believers have become more accustomed
to following their feelings than using the Word to allow the mind
transformation that would give them proper discernment. This is
why in teaching on spiritual things, Paul admonished them to understand what their pursuit should be.
Pursue love, and desire spiritual gis, but especially that you
may prophesy. (1 Corinthians 14:1)
My opening scripture for this chapter talks about three things:
faith, hope, and love. What is the greatest? The greatest is love. This
is why love must be our pursuit. God is love! He must be our pursuit.
Our initial experience with God is only possible through faith.
The Bible tells us that by grace we have been saved, through faith,
which is the gift of God. Those of us who have walked in a second
work of grace through the Holy Spirit have had hope added to our
faith. We have been exhorted not just to look to the cross for eternal life but also for the benefits of the cross. The benefits include:
deliverance, healing, and power over all our enemies. With faith and
the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, truly, the door to all things has
been opened up to us.
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Jesus said to him, If you can believe, all things are possible to
him who believes. (Mark 9:23)
Now to this we need to add the third level experience, so we
can truly understand the words of Jesus Christ and live by them.
What does this level bring us to? It should bring us to the ultimate
place with God. Gods place for us is the place of love. Why is this?
It is because God is Love!
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does
not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love
of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only
begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.
(1 John 4:7-9)
God is love. This is an important statement and one that requires a great deal of contemplation. The word for love here in the
original text is the word agape. Most Christians are familiar with
the word because of its importance to us. Many times the original
word is used in Christian lingo, especially with products marketed
for Christians. This word agape is an interesting word. The Vines
Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words says, The word
agape in early Greek manuscripts was not a common word, so we
must understand it in the context of how it is used in Scripture.
He notes that it was as if the writers of the New Testament wanted
to use an uncommon word for Gods love, so it could be defined
from a godly perspective. This would be a very important observation because in understanding love concerning God, we must be
very careful not to define love or God from a human perspective.
We must understand from the revelation He gives us through the
Word.
After His resurrection, Jesus appeared on the earth for forty
days encouraging and instructing His disciples. He spoke to Peter
on one occasion and asked him the question: Do you love Me
more than these? Remember, Peter had boldly declared to Jesus
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He was calling him to. After Jesus said Feed My lambs, He added
this:
Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you
girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you
are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will
gird you and carry you where you do not wish. is He
spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And
when He had spoken this, He said to him, Follow Me. (John
21:18-19)
After this, Peter understood he would have to give his life for
the cause, so he points to John and asks what will happen to him.
John declares himself to be the beloved disciple using the agape
word rather than the phileo word of Peter. Jesus response corrected Peter.
Jesus said to him, If I will that he remain till I come, what is
that to you? You follow Me. (John 21:22)
For Jesus, this was not about feelings, but about eternal purpose. The eternal purpose is not about what we want, but it is about
what He desires to fulfill His plan for mankind and the earth.
For Peter, the eternal purpose would lead him to Rome to be
martyred. This was the fate of all the disciples; except John, who
would be exiled to the Isle of Patmos to receive the book of the
Revelation, the final book of the Bible.
In order to get to the next level God has for us, we need to
understand Gods love. This is the love that motivates God and that
should also motivate us. It was agape love that motivated God to
send His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten
Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have
everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world
to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might
be saved. (John 3:16-17)
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Gods love is not without feeling or affection, since it has provided so much for us at Gods expense. Gods love is certainly passionate and personal.
I remember when my first son was born. One day I was taking care of him. Up to this point in life, I believed the greatest sacrifice one could make was to give your life for someone or
something. I loved history; and when I would read about the sacrifices people gave when offering their lives for country and family
in war, I was very motivated to give honor for these efforts. But
that day, looking with love at my son, I realized the greatest sacrifice would not be to give your life; it would be to give your childs
life. That day John 3:16 meant more to me than it ever had before.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten
Son. Gods love is a perfect love. It is not motivated by feelings
alone; but it is motivated by the sense of responsibility He has for
His creation, mankind.
I grew up in the United States in the generation born after
World War II. This is often referred to as the baby boomers generation because after the war there was a baby boom in our country,
as the men came home from the war. The parents of the baby boom
had made a great sacrifice for their country and families, and they
followed the same pattern on their return.
Our country became the greatest economic power in human
history as the people gave themselves full access to the American
dream. The fathers continued their sacrifice; but now, the economy provided unparalleled opportunities for their children. Interestingly, with our economics assured, the children started looking
for more.
According to what is called Maslows hierarchy of needs,
when people feel safe and provided for in the physical sense, emotional needs become the source of motivation. Ultimately, from his
observation, Maslow saw the final goal would be the place of selfactualization. I will emphasize the word self here because it is
motivated on the inside rather than from external sources. I dont
agree with everything Maslow said, but I certainly see the accuracy
of progression from a human observation.
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costal services as just emotional; but our patterns were indeed scriptural, and the Word was always central in our worship.
Many evangelical, non-Pentecostal churches saw the blessing
of the more open praise and emotional responses and have adopted
the music forms without the emphasis on what the Scripture has to
say about it. The emphasis is not on the Holy presence, but contemporary expressions. Even some Pentecostal-charismatics often
fail to discern the difference between contemporary and spirit-filled
worship. Music has its own power and can easily sway emotions.
Music has often been a vehicle for love expressions and, certainly, is
one we should use as Christians. Without the accompanying emphasis on the Word; however, our Jesus love affair can be an emotional one without truly being built on a commitment to
discipleship. Our relationship with Christ can simply be another expression of contemporary cultures fascination with love as an emotion, without the need for covenant commitment as expressed in
the marriage union. The church is the bride of Christ and should
not settle on being just another lover without a covenant.
With all our doctrines on the power of prayer and the gifts of
the Holy Spirit, we have not gone to the level of demonstration the
disciples did. There is a good reason. It is not as some say because
that was a different dispensation. It is because we have not been instructed, like the twelve, to accept the responsibility of our calling.
We have asked but not received. There is a reason given in the
Scripture.
Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they
not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your
members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet
and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because
you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with
the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to
be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or
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human love but divine love. With all our works, both natural and
spiritual, there is no value according to Gods Word without
agape love.
ough I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but
have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging
cymbal. And though I have the gi of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all
faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I
am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the
poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not
love, it profits me nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)
We need to be people of divine love. The world is looking for
love. If we want to give them life, we cannot give them the love
they have created. This love will not satisfy. Instead, it will lead to
greater craving. We must also understand that if we are motivated
or looking for only the love Peter had, we will also miss out on what
God has for us.
The apostle Paul wrote a letter to the church of Ephesus
telling them of his prayers for them. His prayer was for them to
grow in love. For in growing in love, they would be filled with all
the fullness of God.
that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory,
to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner
man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that
you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and
depth and height to know the love of Christ which passes
knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
(Ephesians 3:16-19)
When we grow in His love, we will be filled with all the fullness of God. This love will motivate us and empower us to walk in
the fullness of the Spirit and the power of God. It will be in this
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place that we will no longer operate as children, and we will not operate on partial power. We will operate in full power!
Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will
fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there
is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we
prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come,
then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a
child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as
a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
(1 Corinthians 13:8-11)
This love has to be learned and experienced from God. This
is what motivated the disciples and gave them not just the capacity
to work miracles, signs, and wonders but also the willingness to lay
down their lives for the eternal purpose of God. It was after this
love lesson Peter was prepared to stand before the people as the
leader on the day of Pentecost and declare to all the power of the
Christ! What an amazing thing to preach under the anointing of
the Holy Spirit and see 5,000 come to the Lord. We have learned
about church growth, but we havent seen anything like we will see
when the love of God is fully manifested in us.
New Perspective: We must pursue Gods love. We are naturally
inclined to seek for love. We are not naturally inclined to seek
Gods love. Human love begins in the infant who looks for selfsatisfying love and care. As we mature, we need to grow out of our
self-centered love and learn how to love others. Gods love seeks
satisfaction but is fulfilled and experienced through giving oneself
as God gives the example in His Word. For God so loved . . . He
gave!
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who being the brightness of His glory and the express image
of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His
power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at
the right hand of the Majesty on high, (Hebrews 1:3)
Finally, Jesus came to establish the church. He did this
through His ministry and the training of the twelve apostles who
became the foundation for the church. After His resurrection, He
bestowed His ministry upon the church. The mantle He had was
poured upon us, so we also could fulfill the purpose of the Father
in the earth.
erefore He says: When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gis to men And He Himself gave
some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and
some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for
the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
(Ephesians 4:8, 11-12)
It is important to understand that the ministry of Jesus Christ
continues for two reasons. The ministry of Jesus Christ is a ministry
to reach the lost and reconcile people to God, but it continues for
the purpose of disciplining and training people. Over the history of
the church, we have thought our goal is to get saved and then to get
other people saved. To us, saved meant not going to hell. It is obvious from the above scriptures and the full witness of the Word
that Jesus came to release us from the captivity of sin, not just to forgive us from our sin. It is also obvious that His plan of action, then,
is to train us for the purpose God has for us. We should also understand His desire that we would go on to maturity, so we also can
truly be a witness of who our God is.
till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge
of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the
stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be
children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind
of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning crainess
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Christ came to the earth as a Son of God, so He could be the firstborn of many brethren.
For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed
to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among
many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He
also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and
whom He justified, these He also glorified. (Romans 8:29-30)
If you are truly a son of God, you must receive the exhortation of a son.
And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you
as to sons: My son, do not despise the chastening of the
LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every
son whom He receives. If you endure chastening, God deals
with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father
does not chasten? (Hebrews 12:5-7)
It is sad how few Christians actually relate to God as a Father.
This is an especially important message for the Pentecostal-charismatic Movement. The Holy Spirit should not be the focus of our
worship experience. Many Christians today are like the woman at
the well. We do not know who we are called to worship.
You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and
now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in
spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.
God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in
spirit and truth. (John 4:22-24)
Notice the focus of worship is the Father. The Holy Spirit is
the means by which we worship and communicate with God. We
should worship in spirit and in truth. Jesus made it clear. He
was the way, the truth, and the life. So through Jesus Christ and
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stance. Give honor to Him. He will give honor to you! Just remember your birthright.
New Perspective: We need to fully understand that we have a
heavenly Father. We have celebrated God the Son; God the Holy
Spirit; and now, we must fully embrace God as our Father. As
Proverbs 3 states: We must learn to trust, lean upon, acknowledge,
fear, and honor our Father!
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known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from
now on you know Him and have seen Him. Philip said to
Him, Lord, show us the Father, and it is sucient for us.
Jesus said to him, Have I been with you so long, and yet you
have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen
the Father; so how can you say, Show us the Father? (John
14:6-9)
I think it is sad when, even today, Jesus could say of many
Christians: Have I been so long with you and you do not know
Me? You can tell from a persons conversation whether they know
Jesus Christ, or whether they are just talking about somebody they
heard about. Also, you will know if the relationship is growing by
what they are saying. Do they know Jesus Christ, or do they just
know the fact that He died for their sins? We need to be like Moses
and grow in our knowledge of who God is not just what He
does.
Moses had his first experience with God when he met Him at
the burning bush. Moses was on the backside of the desert where
he was working as a shepherd for his father-in-law, Jethro. He noticed a bush that was burning, yet, not being consumed. So Moses
approached the bush, and God spoke to him there. He reveals to
Moses that He is the I Am God. Moses has been introduced to
the eternal God. He knows Him initially as the God of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacobthe patriarchs of the children of Israel. Initially,
Moses is afraid of this awesome God and very reluctant to answer a
call to be the deliverer of the children of Israel, even though he had
this amazing experience. As we know, Moses became the deliverer
that God intended him to be; but his growth and development grew
with the growth and development of his relationship with God.
I want to point out the three-fold experience Moses had with
God, so we can see a pattern for us in the New Testament church.
The first noted observation the children of Israel had was the personal relationship Moses had with God. Especially his associate,
Joshua, seemed intrigued by Moses relationship with God.
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Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face
of the earth. (Exodus 33:13-16)
For me, this signifies the second work of grace God has for us
in the Pentecostal-charismatic experience. The Pentecostal-charismatic experience is very centered on the presence of God. We speak
of His presence in us through the baptism of the Holy Spirit and always note the sense of His presence when we come to church. The
baptism of the Holy Spirit separates us and equips us for the purpose
God has for our lives. Like Moses who said if I have found grace
in your sight, I want something more. Like the promise of God to
Moses, we want the Presence and the impact the Presence gives to
us. Moses wanted more. He wanted to go farther in God.
So the LORD said to Moses, I will also do this thing that you
have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I
know you by name. And he said, Please, show me Your
glory. (Exodus 33:17-18)
The third experience Moses had was with the glory of God.
Moses asked to see the glory of God. For Moses, the glory represented the awesome splendor of God manifested in a demonstration of something very spectacular. God responded by talking about
what is important to Him concerning His glory versus what would
be important or exciting to us.
en He said, I will make all My goodness pass before you,
and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will
be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. (Exodus 33:19)
Again, Moses is gaining an understanding of the knowledge
of God. The greater glory of God is not in what He is but who
He is. God is describing who He is when He talks about His personal attributes of goodness, graciousness, and compassion. Then
God speaks a warning to Moses.
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But He said, You cannot see My face; for no man shall see
Me, and live. And the LORD said, Here is a place by Me,
and you shall stand on the Rock. So it shall be, while My glory
passes by, that I will put you in the cle of the Rock, and will
cover you with My hand while I pass by. en I will take
away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall
not be seen. (Exodus 33:20-23)
There is something about the All-Powerful, All-Knowing, and
Always-Present God that cannot be handled in the human condition. This is not a matter of worthiness but a matter of logistics if
you would. This is why God places him behind a rock and passes by
so Moses can see something of what he wanted to see.
In the New Testament, Jesus alludes to this concept in describing how we relate to God in this same way.
No one has seen God at any time. e only begotten Son, who
is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. (John
1:18)
Now read what Moses saw of God, and see the same picture
we have in the New Testament.
Now the LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him
there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD
passed before him and proclaimed, e LORD, the LORD
God, merciful and gracious, longsuering, and abounding in
goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving
iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the
guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children
and the childrens children to the third and the fourth generation. (Exodus 34:5-7)
The Father is represented by the awesome presence of the
cloud, and Jesus Christ is the visible expression descending in the
cloud. All we need to see of God is in the person of Jesus Christ.
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time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman,
born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law,
that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you
are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your
hearts, crying out, Abba, Father! erefore you are no
longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God
through Christ. (Galatians 4:1-7)
With this understanding, Jesus becomes our pattern and the
path to a full understanding and a mature relationship with God,
our Father. You were redeemed from the Law (refers to Mosaic),
not so you could be an employee with a part time commitment to
God, but so you could be the full expression of a son of God. You
are not just a liberated slave but an heir of God and a joint heir with
Christ. Most Christians still live under the Law. In their minds, grace
takes away the judgments and the severity; but they still do not see
from a relationship perspective.
Moses life is an example of someone who grew in his relationship with God. When he first met God, he was afraid of Him.
In the latter part of his life, Moses was no longer afraid of God but
actually was able to stand up to Him. There are two references
where God was going to give up on the children of Israel and make
Moses the new heir of the covenant He had made with Abraham.
And the LORD said to Moses, I have seen this people, and
indeed it is a sti-necked people! Now therefore, let Me alone,
that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation. (Exodus
32:9-10)
Moses response to God is amazing.
en Moses pleaded with the LORD his God, and said:
LORD, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people
whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great
power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians
speak, and say, He brought them out to harm them, to kill
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sponsibility and give us greater authority in prayer. This is the ministry of intercession needed in the world today.
We need to be people of prayer, like Moses, who knew the
way of God. Moses had said to God, Now therefore, I pray, if I
have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may
know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. His insight into
the way of God certainly gave him power in his ministry of prayer.
It gave him understanding that God rewards those who struggle
with Him.
We have already talked about Jacob, the man who struggled
with God. Jacobs struggle produced a change in him. God gave
him a new name. Jacobs name would now be Israel because of his
struggle with God. He also became a prince achieving an aspiration that drove him throughout his life.
Although we can draw many positives from the life of Moses,
his life did not have a fulfilling end. He accomplished Gods purpose
but missed out on one of his own. Moses was commissioned to
bring the children of Israel out of the bondage of Egypt. He successfully brought them out, and he led and ministered to them for
the forty years of their judgment in the wilderness. One day the
children of Israel contended with the Lord and Moses, His servant.
They were not in the place to do this, so it was Moses who went before the Lord for them. There was no water, a problem they had
faced before, so Moses took their need to God. He instructed
Moses to speak to the Rock that followed them. One other time,
God had told Moses to strike the Rock for water. This time was different. Not only were the instructions different, but so was Moses
response.
And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before
the Rock; and he said to them, Hear now, you rebels! Must
we bring water for you out of this Rock? en Moses lied
his hand and struck the Rock twice with his rod; and water
came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank. (Numbers 20:10-11)
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Rather than following Gods instruction, Moses was motivated by his emotional response to the people. In his anger, he
struck the Rock twice. I have capitalized the word Rock here because the New Testament tells us the Rock that followed them was
Christ. Because Moses did not discern the situation and his response
was from the people rather than from God, he was reprimanded.
en the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, Because you did
not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land
which I have given them. is was the water of Meribah, because the children of Israel contended with the LORD, and
He was hallowed among them. (Numbers 20:12-13)
Moses responded from his emotions. His anger was not just
a personal outburst. He was, indeed, the friend of God; so I am sure
he was offended at their unbelief. He did, however, put the attention on his efforts when he said, Must we bring water out of the
Rock? When it became about Moses, God said, You did not believe Me to hallow Me in the eyes of the people. This situation was
not about Moses, but God.
It is easy in the ministry to lose our focus. Samuel, the
prophet, found this out. The children of Israel wanted a king like
the other nations, so they rejected Gods system of government for
the system of man. Samuel took this as a personal rejection. God
corrected Samuels thinking.
But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, Give us a
king to judge us. So Samuel prayed to the LORD. And the
LORD said to Samuel, Heed the voice of the people in all
that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they
have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. (1
Samuel 8:6-7)
When Jesus began His ministry, His message was simple. Jesus
said, Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. As He ex-
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Moses as he walked with God. Moses failure in the end, also teaches
us that God wanted to do something in Moses not just
through Moses. Moses missed out on his blessing because he
failed to grow as a person. Although his heart was right towards
God, he did not grow in character and personal strength. This
would explain his failure, at the end, that would make it impossible
for him to go into the Promised Land. This is why I opened with
the scripture where the apostle Paul declared, I can do all things
through Christ who strengthens me. We should all understand
the purpose of God is not only to help us, but to strengthen us!
This is why Jesus Christ alone is our complete example. Jesus
came not as a servant only, but as a Son. It was not just what He
did, but who He was. The victory of the cross was only possible
because of the victory in the garden of Gethsemane. It is in this
place of personal sanctification and choice the New Testament was
possible.
who, in the days of His flesh, when He had oered up prayers
and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who
was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of
His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who
obey Him, called by God as High Priest according to the
order of Melchizedek, of whom we have much to say, and
hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. (Hebrews 5:7-11)
We have many wonderful things to learn from Moses including what caused Him to fail. In the end, our focus must be on Jesus
Christ; and we must hear the admonition of this New Day to go on
to the fullness God has for us!
For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need
someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles
of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
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not individual, but corporate. Paul learned this from the beginning
of his walk with God.
Acts chapter nine tells the story of the conversion of the apostle Paul. His conversion was dramatic and powerful. The Lord
speaks to a prophet by the name of Ananias that he will be a vessel
used as a part of the conversion of Paul and Pauls call into the ministry. At first, Ananias is fearful because of Pauls reputation as a persecutor of the Christian church. Then the Lord gives him the word
concerning Pauls call. Paul is a chosen vessel of the Lord and has a
call of suffering.
But the Lord said to him, Go, for he is a chosen vessel of
Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must
suer for My names sake. (Acts 9:15-16)
Ananias would not be a well sought out prophet in our day.
Who would ever want to know this word? It isnt exactly something
we will stand on for the rest of our lives seeking for the fulfillment
of the word. Most people today look for prophets who will tell them
what they want to hear. If they dont like what they hear, they will
look for another prophet or another word. We have made prophetic
ministry a form of fortune telling to encourage us on the road of
our self-centered lives. We have often fallen to the sins spoken of
by Paul to his spiritual son, Timothy.
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have
itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and
they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned
aside to fables. (2 Timothy 4:3-4)
Ever notice when you have an itch how hard it is to ignore? It
will drive you crazy if you dont respond. When something in life
troubles us, everything within our natural being demands a response.
An itch needs a scratch. When we have a natural conflict, we think
we need a natural response. The Word teaches us we need to learn
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and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at
the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen
as he was calling on God and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my
spirit. en he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice,
Lord, do not charge them with this sin. And when he had
said this, he fell asleep. (Acts 7:57-60)
In your mind, who had the greater testimony, the apostle Paul
or the one whose death sowed the seed of his conversion? The key
to success in God is to follow the Word through the Spirit. This was
the admonition given to Joshua as he led the children of Israel into
the Promised Land.
is Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but
you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe
to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will
make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good
courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD
your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:8-9)
We are not bound by adherence to the law of Moses in the
new covenant, but this term Book of the Law was a reference to
the Scripture available at this time. The prophets and the New Testament would come later as God would unfold His Word to His
people. However, we must understand that Scripture has always
been the vital resource in knowing the will of God. When the Word
says we should compare spiritual things to spiritual, it should mean
to us that all subjective spiritual experiences should be in line with
the objective of the written Word of God. It should never be a
thought that after God spending thousands of years to put the Bible
together, we would have a spiritual walk outside of the Word! What
the apostle Paul espoused was to understand the Word with the help
of the Spirit of God.
clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written
not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets
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was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and
the darkness did not comprehend it. (John 1:1-5)
Paul experienced the transformation of a life that came into
contact with the living God. He proposed the pursuit of God and
a continuing encounter with the presence of the glory of God. The
first step of this transformation process is the personal encounter.
The second step is our submission to God. Through the process of
giving our life as a sacrifice to God, we will be continually transformed in our thought process until we become more like our God.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that
you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to
God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of
your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:1-2)
This submission, as a sacrifice, literally changes our mind from
a self-centered one to a God centered one. The Apostle never had
a change of mind about this. In the final days of his life, he saw himself being poured out as a drink offering to the Lord.
For I am already being poured out as a drink oering, and the
time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I
have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (2 Timothy 4:6-7)
The concept of holiness in the Scripture is built on the idea
that something was holy because it belonged to God. The reason
the sacrifice is holy is because it is offered to God. Paul understood
the need for the believer to offer themselves as a sacrifice to God.
He notes a progression from good; to acceptable; to the perfect, or
complete, will of God. Many Christians talk about giving their lives
to God, but the concept is often lost that our lives do not belong
to us.
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Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy
Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are
not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are Gods. (1
Corinthians 6:19-20)
In these days, we have often perverted our understanding of
the Word because we fail to truly see our lives as belonging to God.
We frequently hear people talking about God saving souls. To the
modern Christian, this is an ethereal concept based upon our
inner person. When God created man, He took the dust of the
earth; breathed into it the Breath of Life; and man became a living
soul.
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground,
and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7)
Notice I use the NKJ says living being. Growing up, like
most evangelical Christians, we used the word soul, but in time,
this became a different meaning than the original intent. The Jews
did not see this as an inner person but the reality of your personal
self. Our soul is our breath. It is what comes from the combination
of flesh and the Breath of God, which is our spirit. This misunderstanding makes us separate the part God is trying to save from the
person we are. Christianity is about God saving us body, soul, and
spirit. We need to save lives, not souls!
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely;
and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved
blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 essalonians 5:23)
This is very important in this day as we are called by God to
go on to perfection, or completeness, in Christ.
The concept of Christian perfection was first propagated by
John Wesley. In this day, we will understand this does not just mean
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holiness as defined by our behavior. It means completeness as defined by Gods full salvation working in us fully sanctifying us for
His purpose. As we give our lives fully to God, we will see a powerful change in us that will impact the world. Ultimately, this completeness comes with our fully identifying with Jesus Christ. People
go through life trying to find themselves by introspection when we
can only truly find ourselves in Christ.
For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. (Colossians 3:3-4)
This is a good scripture for those of us in the Pentecostalcharismatic Movement. Most of us believe in deliverance and the
power of the cross. I love the scripture that says bless the Lord and
forget not all His benefits. (Psalm 103:2) The apostle Paul certainly understood the authority of the believer. However, when he
asked God for the benefits, specifically for God to heal him, God
tells him this is not the course he is to follow. This is why we need
the Word and the Spirit. We need to ask, but also listen.
An immature Christian can take the Word and wield it as a
weapon for personal fulfillment. But when we have the Spirit, we
should also be a people willing to listen; so God can fine-tune our
walk to His purpose. We cant just listen when God or the preacher
is saying something we want to hear.
Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your
wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and
eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance.
Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall
live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you e
sure mercies of David. (Isaiah 55:2-3)
Note the scripture before incline your ear talks about
spending our wages, or work, on a life that doesnt satisfy. Many
Christians espouse the idea that only a life with Christ can truly satisfy. When we try to take control of our life without Gods instruc167
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tion, we can also find ourselves living the unsatisfied life, even as a
believer. It is evident with many Christians that they are not living
the satisfied life because they are looking for ways to justify satisfaction in a worldly life.
The Bible is very clear that a friend of the world is an enemy
of God. It isnt legalism to say that the aspiration to find satisfaction
and friendship with the world is contrary to the call of Christ. The
correction to the worldliness of this present day church will not be
corrected by a call to the law of sanctification, but by an understanding of the truly satisfying life one can find in Christ. We have
the same choice as they had in the garden, and we need to know
which tree is the Tree of Life and which tree is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Without this, we will continue to be carnal
children trying to bring God into our world that we control, instead of us living in the power of the kingdom of God.
God tells Paul that He will not deliver him but will teach him
a way of grace and empowerment that comes through the struggle
of the kingdom of God. Paul understood this understanding would
only come through struggle.
And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made
many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them
to continue in the faith, and saying, We must through many
tribulations enter the kingdom of God. (Acts 14:21-22)
This was also the message Jesus Christ declared when He ministered concerning the kingdom of God.
Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there
has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who
is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from
the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven
suers violence, and the violent take it by force. (Matthew
11:11-12)
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Notice the emphasis is not tribulation to establish the kingdom, but to enter and to take the kingdom. The problem we face,
as Christians, is not to make things happen for God, but to apprehend these things. Paul advocated a message that declared the need
to fully go after and obtain the things God has for us.
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but
I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus
has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to
have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things
which are behind and reaching forward to those things which
are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward
call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12-14)
The call we must hear at this time is to press forward. We
need to lay hold of everything that Christ has laid hold of for us.
The kingdom is our inheritance; but God, our Father, is looking
for a people who are willing to apprehend it and all the things concerning it. Jesus has laid hold of things for us, but He wants us to
go after and take possession of our inheritance. This call is upward.
God wants to take us to a higher place. He doesnt want us to just
be satisfied where we are. He wants us to grow and mature and have
a more profound relationship with Him.
This growth is not possible unless we give our lives fully to
God. You cant be in charge of your life and circumstances and get
where God wants you to go. You cant dictate the level of your comfort. You must, like the apostle Paul, receive your strength; comfort;
and help from God. God is, in this New Day, raising up a mighty
people for His names sake. He is raising up a people who will do
great things for God. Do you want to be in this courageous band?
It is time to move into the realm of the kingdom of God!
It is important to note the struggle we go through impacts
our natural man, or character. In the opening of this chapter, we
talked about how Pauls thorn in the flesh would anchor him in the
natural world to balance his spiritual encounter. To be fully sanctified, we must understand this requires a commitment to let God
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work in our natural man, not just our spiritual life. Also note in 2
Corinthians 3, when beholding the glory of the Lord we will be
transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was God
becoming man.
In our charismatic experience, we often think the ideal state
is a spiritual plane where we are taken out of the natural into the
spiritual sphere. In first level Christianity, the goal is often only
about our future in heaven. Often in the second level, Christians
want out of the world now. In this New Day and third level, we
must remember Jesus Christ said that we would not be taken out of
the world; but in the world we would manifest His testimony to the
world.
I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but
that You should keep them from the evil one. ey are not of
the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by
Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world,
I also have sent them into the world. (John 17:15-18)
Although our ultimate destiny is in heaven and through the
Spirit of God we can ascend to heavenly places in Christ, we must
understand our purpose is established here on the earth. As Jesus
Christ was a visible witness of the Father in the earth, so are we to
be a witness of Christ to the world. We read and live by the Word,
but the world needs to see the Word revealed in us.
You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by
all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us,
written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not
on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.
(2 Corinthians 3:2-3)
We are living epistles, or letters, of God to the world. What are
people reading about God from your life? If we give God our heart,
it will eventually be seen in our life that we have done so!
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Conclusion
Blow the trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm in My holy
mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the
day of the LORD is coming, For it is at hand: (Joel 2:1)
When the children of Israel were traveling through the wilderness
to the Promised Land, whenever it was time to get on the move
they would begin to sound the alarms. This is what the prophet
Joel was speaking about when he said, Blow the trumpet in Zion
and sound the alarm in My holy mountain. This chapter of Joel
was often quoted during the days of the charismatic renewal. It was
also quoted by Peter on the day of Pentecost.
Just as the Pentecostal-charismatic Movement came as a wave
into the church, so I believe it is time for us to prepare ourselves for
another wave. The past wave was a move of the Spirit; this next wave
will be a move of the church. The church, which has been a part of
Gods eternal plan prophesied about in Genesis chapter three after
the sin of Adam and Eve in the garden, must arise to the sound of
the trumpet in these days.
In the writing of this book, I believe God has raised me up as
a prophetic trumpet to declare it is time to move. Many others are
hearing this call to something new in God, but often there has not
been clarity to the sound of what it is that God is speaking. The
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trumpeting call is to gather together the ones who were made alive
by the last move and to get them to rise to their feet as the exceeding army of God.
Many of you hear a call or see a need. You know there is
something more. We cannot get to where God wants us or fulfill
His purpose without a redefinition of what God is speaking to the
church. This book is a call to the army of God, the Jacob generation, the Joshua generation, the manifested sons of God, or whatever aspect of the call you are hearing. It is time to assemble
ourselves together and move forward into the Promised Land. I
am calling it the New Day when speaking of this new definition,
this new experience, this great day of God.
In recent times, people have been seeking churches that are
cool or socially acceptable. We have been more motivated by style
than substance. We have become seeker sensitive but not God sensitive. This is not a time to display our style; it is time to manifest the
glory of the Lord to our generation. We must stop being sensitive
to the world and what they desire, but we must be sensitive to what
they need. They need the power of God at work in their lives, which
can only come through knowing who He is. The world is focused
on knowing who they are. This brings selfish, self-centered living.
We can only know who we are when we know who He is and the
plan He has for us.
Pastors and leaders, it is up to us to take the people to a higher
plane. Jesus met people where they were at, but He didnt leave
them there. He took them somewhere.
God is blowing the trumpet for those who will boldly lead
the people who want to reveal the glory of the Lord to their generation. The world is spoiling and God asks, Where is the salt?
The world is becoming dark and the cry of the Spirit is, Where is
the light? Lets not just be hearers of the word, but doers also! It
is time!
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Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the
Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover
the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the Lord will
arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you. e Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of
your rising. (Isaiah 60:1-3)
If you would like to contact me personally, feel free to contact
me at lorenrcovarrubias.com.
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