To Communion, Or Not to Communion

When we think about the modern aspect of communion what are we actually looking at? Are we following the traditions of men, or are we looking into this the way Apostles did? Or do we really know what the Apostles thought about communion?

Alas…here is what is written.

Matthew 26 tells us the words of our Lord when this was first done. We first see what I call the “Order of Breaking Bread.” Every time Jesus has bread, He follows the same pattern. He takes it, He blesses it, He breaks it, and He gives it. It is the order of qualification for every person’s life.

Then we read Jesus’ words in Luke 22 and they are telling us to do this in remembrance of Him. He is not actually asking us, He’s telling us, “you will do this.” The question is then not if we should, but when we should?

 There are several schools of thought. Seventy percent of the modern church take communion once a month. While there is no definitive reason as to why, it seems most believe it is lengthy and therefore cuts into the pastor’s preaching time. The other thirty percent of the church split several times a week to zero times a week depending on their belief.  

What does Paul say? Paul says the cup and the bread are sharing in the body and the blood. He says there is one loaf that represents one body and a cup that is sharing in the blood.

Paul goes on to rebuke the Corinthian church because there are factions among them that are separating the church by those that have, and those that have not. Those that have are using the Lord’s Supper to gorge themselves and become drunk on their excess, while others who do not have anything are going without. The issue with this is that Paul is using the word eat for both the Lord’s Supper and dinner. Paul tells them they do not need to eat when they all gather, that they should be eating at home. This was not in reference to the Lord’s Supper but gathering together and eating a big meal as the Lord’s Supper while some went without and could not partake due to lack of wealth.

He goes on to remind them this is about the bread and the wine, nothing more, nothing less.

Here is where Paul really excels in this explanation. Some will say this was a Seder and it was to be done on Passover. This explanation tries to mix the Old Covenant into the New Covenant. The Passover was part of the law, and this was filled full in Christ. So trying to take Christ back into the shadow is a pointless task meant for children who are searching for their Father because they have never found the relationship with Him.

While Jesus did eat the Seder for Passover, this was due to Him, and everyone else still being under the law of Moses. Nowhere do we ever read again that the Seder was to be followed in this manner. Not in the bible, and not by the church fathers that followed the first century.

Paul points to Jesus’ words that the blood IS the New Covenant. He then says “do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of Me.” Paul says “as often” as you eat the bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes again. That also being said, it is a possibility to drink this cup in an unworthy way. If you do, you are guilty of the body and the blood of Christ.

So, what does this all mean? It simply means this. Neither Paul nor Jesus are very clear about when a person should take communion. They both just say, “as often.” But Luke gives us a little more insight in Acts 2. He tells us that people devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer. Where did the term breaking of bread come from? It came from the last supper. Remember there was actually a dinner that night as well. It wasn’t just bread and wine. Luke says they were breaking bread from house to house and taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart. Are the apostles “breaking bread” every time they ate? It is not clear.

But the Didache tells us in 14.1 that “on the Lord’s own day gather yourselves together and break bread and give thanks, first confessing your transgressions, that your sacrifice may be pure.”  The Lord’s Day would be the first day of the week, or the resurrection day. It says here that it should be once a week. Justin Martyr says Christians meet on Sunday to partake of communion. (Apology I, 67)

Paul while meeting in Troas broke bread with believers 12 days after Pentecost on the first day of the week. This should do away with the once-a-year Seder Dinner theory.

After reading Justin Martyr, Clement, Tertullian, Polycarp, and Irenaeus there are no demands placed on how often communion should be given. It appears that most of the church believed it should be done every Lord’s Day.

Why? This is a little more complex. All of those mentioned above were writing in arguments for one cause or another. Arguing against Docetism, Gnosticism, or some other form of heresy of the day.

I believe we need to look at the words Jesus himself said if we are going to find the truest meaning in the bread and the cup of communion. He said “this is My body, which is being given for you, do this in remembrance of me….this cup which is poured out for you, is the new covenant in My blood.”

There are two aspects. His body was given for us, and His blood was poured out for us. This shows His body was sacrificed and His blood flowed out. This was done for the new covenant which He said He was making with His people. This was in reference to Jeremiah saying He will establish a new covenant with His people and write it on their hearts.

To understand what Jesus did, we need to understand this was about making covenant with His people. Whether it is the Adamic, Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, or Davidic covenants, each of these were made between at least two parties. In order words a covenant is between at least two people coming to terms about a subject.

For this example, we are going to follow the Abrahamic covenant because it is this one that shows us what Jesus was actually doing. When God makes a covenant with Abram he tells him to make 5 sacrifices and then cut the heifer, goat, and ram in two. This was done as a blood covenant between two parties. But when Abram was done with the sacrifice, God caused a deep sleep to fall upon him. When Abram awoke he found God passing between the pieces by walking in the blood. Here we see God made covenant with Abram and did not allow Abram to take part in it. God took both parts in the covenant and walked in the blood for Abram. Which is why we read, “when He could swear by no greater He swore by Himself.” The Abrahamic covenant was sealed in blood and God did it all by Himself. But He then accounted it as righteousness to Abram because Abram believed. It is from this covenant that the rest of the covenants are established. Mosaic, Davidic, and New.

Now enter Jesus and the last supper. Jesus said His body had to be broken for us just like the sacrifices with Abram when the bodies were broken in two and the blood was poured out. It is here that we see Jesus is about to do the same thing He did with Abram. Jesus is about to make a blood covenant with His people, and He alone is going to take part in it. This covenant is not going to require your blood or participation. It is only going to ask the same as Abram, that you believe! When this belief is real in your hearts, it will be accounted back to you as righteousness, and you will be a partaker of the blood covenant.

Therefore, when communion is taken it is not merely you remembering what Jesus did when He died on the cross, it is about remembering your side of the blood covenant that you have aligned with and have received. It is from this viewpoint Paul says if you take of the cup of Christ unworthily you take sickness and death upon yourself. Why?

It has nothing to do with the loaf and the cup being magical. Or that you have sinned against God and therefore He is mad. It has to do with a lack of knowledge and understanding in the body of Christ. This understanding is the blood covenant. Meaning when someone enters a blood covenant it cannot be broken unless the one who breaks it sheds their own blood. We as a church and converts to Christianity have misunderstood, misapplied, misrepresented this blood covenant. We haphazardly take this on and at any given moment we cast it off because it does not meet our current lifestyle. We live in a curse because we have not discerned the Lord’s body and His cup! Our lives reflect the same as those that are not in the church. We are just as sick, die just as often, and live with the same tragedies. This is absolutely about the blood covenant that the church knows nothing about.

Several days ago I was awaken by the Lord saying, “I have made a covenant with my people, they just don’t know it, and therefore don’t get it.” In a brief moment I saw this light and it felt like everything in the world made sense. As I was waking up, it all came together in that moment for a brief second. Then I woke up and it was all gone. But what He showed me was the possibility that we can have this covenant and walk in the fruits of it. We no longer have to be like all the other nations and cry for a king other than Him.

Begin to pray that the Lord will show you what this covenant looks like. Ask Him to show you how you can apply this covenant to your life right now. For me, it was as simple as stating I see this covenant, I desire to walk in it, and therefore everything I am I give to Him. I confess that I am part of this covenant with Jesus Christ and my life is no longer my own, but His. I ask for the strength to walk in this new understanding even when my flesh tries to call me back to what I used to be.

I thank you Jesus for showing this and making this a reality for me, right now!

Jezebel and the Man of 6’s

How does Jezebel and the manifestation of the Anti-Christ interconnect and come together?

The first thing we need to look at is the “anti-Christ,” what it is, and is not. I know people these days get all caught up with the manifestation of this spirit inside of a man, but it is in fact, first and foremost, a spirit. We get all twisted up in trying to lay this spirit onto a person that we forget what is actually said about it.

John says the spirit of the antichrist is already loose in the world at the time of him writing 1 John. He also says there are many antichrists already in the world at the time of this book. How? Because it is a spirit, that looks for men, very specific men.

Paul stated that the “man of sin” would oppose all things that belong to the Father, even the worship that is due to Him. The man will sit in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Most will immediately go to the tearing down of the Dome of the Rock so the Jewish temple can be rebuilt. Me, not so much. The temple that Paul is referring to is, THE TEMPLE, which is the church. This man of sin will sit in the church doing signs and wonders while referencing Jesus the whole time. Paul says there will be a great falling away in order for this to happen. What we don’t want to look at is why and how? Paul tells us the Lord will send a strong delusion unto them because they have never believed the truth in their hearts.

It is here we find how it is possible for the “very elect to be deceived, if possible.” While none of this is new and I have taught this for 20 years, something has come up in my prayer time with the Lord.

As I have said before, the time in which you invest in your relationship with the Father cannot be said enough. Every day you must come to Him and hear Him and learn from Him. Let Him teach you like He said He would do.

It is in this place that I was praying, and I asked, “Jesus will you come to me.” Just like the times before I heard, “here I am.” Only this time, it was booming and powerful. Imagine in your mind what you think the God of all creation would sound like, ya it was like that. Everything shook inside of me. But, I paused. This was not what the Lord had ever done before. As I analyzed it, everything seemed in order. (hint…stop analyzing and start decerning) But something was off. As I began to see the Lord, he got closer and closer. My first thought was, “it is Jesus, I’m good.” But as he came closer there was a smile that I knew was wrong. I looked into his eyes, and they were all black with red rings around them. I immediately said, “you’re not Jesus!”  I stopped and went back to what the Lord said to me months before, “Jesus Christ will you come to me?”

I heard the voice I usually hear, and He said, “I’m here.”

I asked, “Jesus what is this?”

I heard Him say, “Come and see.”

I walked with Him over to the false jesus and we stood there looking at it. I was waiting for Him to do something, but He would not. He told me I knew what to do. So I stated, “in the name of Jesus Christ, demon Jesus I bind you with your works, residue of your works, and all your associated demons and I cast you to the pit of hell or wherever Jesus Christ has assigned you.” And…he started laughing, but as he began spinning like a toilet bowl, he began to scream, but he left simply and easily.

It was at this point that I began to ask the Lord how this was possible? How long had he been there, and why?

The Lord told me that I had just met the spirit that is loose in the church, the antichrist! He looks like Jesus and does things like Jesus, but he does not sound like Jesus. “My sheep know my voice, and none other will they follow.”

But what happens when you don’t know the voice of Jesus because you never knew it was a possibility.

The Lord told me this spirit is the basis for the spirit of religion. If you have ever received the spirit of religion, you have taken on, or entertained, the spirit of the antichrist. That doesn’t mean he has been leading you around and you are totally lost. It means it looks for opportunities to come forth in your life. Opportunities where you feed your belly and call it the Lord. Times where you get what you want and say the Lord was telling you. Doing things you “feel” in the guise that the Lord is leading you, all the while it is simply your desire to do a thing.

What is the answer? Simple, build a relationship with Jesus and make it go away. It doesn’t mean you’re lost, it simply means there is some work on your part. Go find your Father!

As I was telling this story to a group of people in our church, I found four others were approached in a very similar fashion. All of us over a two-day period. Each of them heard the Lord (not the Lord) and could immediately tell it was not Jesus they were speaking with.

As I began to ask the Lord about this antichrist spirit, he directed me to start with Jezebel. That of course does not mean this spirit started with Jezebel. It simply means this is how he chose to explain how the antichrist spirit got into the church.

Jezebel was daughter to a Phoenician priest-king that worshipped baal. This particular version of baal was a god of nature and the worship of the natural. Jezebel married into the nation of Israel by marrying King Ahab. It was at this time Jezebel convinced Ahab to allow pagan worship inside of Israel. She set up the worship of baal and commanded the children of God to follow. You know the story…

When Elijah anointed Jehu to be king, Jehu went to the palace and commanded the servants of Jezebel to throw her from the balcony. Jehu then ran over her with a team of horses. When Jehu commanded her body to be buried, all that was found was her head, hands, and feet. This was prophesied by Elijah, but why her head, hands, and feet?

The Lord brought me to where the head, hands, and feet were also a factor in another verse. This was for the anointing of the high priest. He was anointed with a blood oath on his right ear, right thumb, and right big toe.

Jezebel set herself up in the temple of God exalting baal and herself over everything that is God. This false priesthood that she created inside of the nation of God was eradicated, but the spirit remains.

John is prophesying in Revelation and the Lord says to Thyatira, “ the Son of God who has eyes like flames of fire… you allow the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess to teach my bond-servants and lead them away.”

We know Jezebel isn’t still alive, so we are talking about a spirit that has infiltrated the church and has now begun to teach the bond-servants of Christ. Not followers, bond-servants. Huge difference! So now Jezebel is inside the church teaching as a prophet. In other words she is giving “thus says the Lord” to those in the church, and they don’t know any different. She is pulling them away by the lusts of their own bellies.

John then goes on to talk about the man who will cause all of the earth to follow (feet) after him. He will force all of those on the earth to take a mark in their hand or their forehead. It is here that the spirit of Jezebel and the antichrist collide.

Paul says this man will sit in the temple of God, and proclaim himself to be God.

There is a false spiritual gift, a false anointing, false signs, false wonders, false teachings, and false worship all loose inside of the church. These are being demonstrated by a false ascension gift ministry of prophet, and masquerading as truth and enlightenment. This is the ministry that the children of God are flocking towards. Why? Because they mention Jesus and immediately we say they are believers. Without understanding not everyone that says Lord, Lord, will enter in the Kingdom. We use the analogy that if it looks like Jesus and does Jesus stuff, it must be Jesus.

…and the very elect will be deceived, if possible.

As you can see this is a serious issue for modern saints. This false Jesus does not have eyes like flames of fire, he has black eyes with red rings that could be confused as eyes like flames of fire. The entire time Jesus was there with me, and showed me all of these things to pass along. There is nothing to fear or worry about, Jesus Christ is always there, and always will be! So relax, and yet, come to the front and fight. Not with swords and spears, but in the name of the Living God!

It is here that spiritual warfare is going to change!

14th Generation Pt 2

https://wordpress.com/post/cloakmen.wordpress.com/44

After posting the above several years ago…actually almost 12 years now, here is the other part that I never got around to posting. But it has been coming up more and more in my worship with the Lord. Here are all the generations listed in Matthew for Christ, and here is what the Lord told me concerning them.

Abraham= father of multitude

Isaac= laughter

Jacob= supplanter/ Israel= God prevails

Judas= praise

Phares=Breach

Esrom= Enclosed

Aram=High

Aminadab=People of the prince

Naassan= Enchanter

Salmon= Garment

Booz= In him is strength

Obed= serving

Jesse= Wealthy

David=Beloved

Solomon= Peaceful

Roboam= He who enlarges the people

Abia= My father is Jehovah

Asa= physician/cure

Josaphat=Whom God judges

Joram= Exalted

Oziahs= Strength of God

Joatham=God is upright

Achaz=Possessor

Ezikiahs/Hezakiah= The might of Jehovah

Manasses= Forgetting

Amon= Builder

Josiah= Whom Jehovah heals

Jechoniahs- Whom Jehovah establishes

Salathiel= I have asked God

Zorobabel=A stranger in Babylon

Abiud= My father is majesty

Eliakim=Raising up by God

Azor= Helper

Sadoc= Just

Achim= The Lord will establish

Eliud= God is praised

Eleazar= Help of God

Matthan= Gift

Jacob- Supplanter

Joseph= Let him add

Jesus= Salvation

Added all together:

The father of a multitude brings laughter as God prevails by praise. The breach is enclosed high above the people of the prince. The enchanted garment is strength, serving the wealthy, beloved, and peaceful who enlarge the people. My father is Jehovah, the physician and judge. He exalts, strengthens, and is the God of the upright. He is the possessor of the might of Jehovah. Forgetting not the builder, who Jehovah heals and establishes. I have asked God about being a stranger in Babylon. My father is majesty, raised up by God, and is the helper of the just. The Lord will establish God by praise, and the helper of God brings gifts to overthrow. Let him now add salvation to the earth.

Next time we’ll talk about 14 itself.

7000 Have Not Bowed

While worshipping this morning, I heard the Lord tell me the following:

“There is a spirit of slumber, followed by the spirit of fear coming for you all.”

As I asked the Lord about this, here is what He shared. You are not alone in this world when it comes to Kingdom mindset and principles. There are 7000 that have not bent the knee to Baal. Meaning the god of fertility and prosperity has not influenced all the children of God. The message that has captured the modern church is the message that God is here to serve you while you wait for Jesus to fall out of the sky.

But to the 7000, there is a spirit of slumber, followed by the spirit of fear coming specifically for the 7000. They will attempt to pull those of the 7000 back into the fold of the modern church message. All the things the Holy Spirit has been teaching the maturing “sons” of God will be brought into question… if possible. It is a place where they will doubt, again, if possible. If they do this one thing, the spirit of fear will follow and bring FOMO “fear of missing out” unto them to get them to change course and begin to look around. As they do, they will see that all those around them have progressed into the things of the modern church or the business world. They will listen to the spirit of fear, and they will no longer be numbered with the 7000.

Let me be clear! These spirits are not trying to get you to fall away. The Lord was very specific about that. They are trying to get you to return to the modern form of Charismata.

This is the ultimate plan of satan and his demonic hoard. As of now he cannot stop the advancement of the 7000 due to their hunger for the Spirit of God. But everything that can be shaken will be shaken. All he needs to do is get you back into a modern church system of worship.

It is imperative that the 7000 do not blink at this coming tactic. This too will pass quickly once these demonic spirits know you will not be moved. But, if you give an inch, they will attempt to take a mile.

Just stand in the truths the Lord has been showing us this last year. If you need help, and you cannot hear the Holy Spirit, there is always someone around to assist. Be vigilant, be diligent, and be permanent in His love and grace.

Being Eternal for an Eternal Being

How have we come to a place in which the things of the temporal, or temporary, have taken the place of that which is eternal? How has the gospel of wealth and popularity taken the church in a direction that is actually the opposite of what we see the Lord showing us in a biblical sense? The church has begun to align itself with the other religions of man in that God’s ultimate goal is to make us rich. Churches more resemble corporations than they do altars of worship. Bringing in money for the sake of enhancing the minister’s way of life, building temples in our cities, and gaining influence on social media by way of followers. We have created corruption on a grand scale that has not been seen since the book of Malachi. Again, how has this happened?

It all began with this! There was a time in which the heresies of the original church were running wild. We see this as Paul, Peter, John, and Jude all address these issues. These issues continued to grow through the first, second, third, and fourth centuries of the church. When Constantine made Christianity the world religion, Catholicism took root and began to dictate Jesus and the Father. It was during these centuries that the church was scared to let the Holy Spirit show the way, and the church began to tighten the screws of righteousness. When this happened, the leaders of the church refused to show what it meant to have, hold, and operate with the Holy Spirit. Over time, the aspect of the Holy Spirit was lost, and the common man was not allowed to read the scriptures for themselves to know the difference.

By the time the bible began to appear in other translations, several centuries had passed. The church was effective in stifling the Holy Spirit in the people and retained control of the words for ministers only. Even as the bible is now in full view of the average person, the spirit that controls religion in the modern church has effectively made the Holy Spirit of no real use to the saints.  

With this context, we’ll begin. Since the one thing Jesus told us would lead us and guide us into all truth has been rejected by the modern church, a new truth has been established. This truth is the prosperity gospel. Meaning the gospel that states it’s the Father’s only purpose to make your life on earth one of wealth and riches. It is from this place that the worship of the temporal has taken root. It is from this place that the “god of your belly” has taken its seat in your life.

But the Holy Spirit is bringing His sons and daughters to an old truth in a new way. This truth is what it means to be an eternal being and not look to the temporal for our guidance. When we talk about the destiny laid before the sons and daughters of God, we have been told these destinies lay within what you are supposed to do in the natural world. In other words, it’s your destiny to build said building, or become a doctor, or run for president. The question the Lord gave me was, “are you sure?”  Are you sure your destiny as an eternal being lies within the temporal? Saints we have missed something big!!

Paul says, “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” In other words we have been looking at the wrong things for the last 1700 years. We are trying to gain spiritual access and understanding by gaining more wealth in this life.

So if we are eternal, and our destiny lies within the eternal, what does this look like in this life? This is actually very simple. The first step is to come to the acknowledgement that you may just not know everything. Once you do this, you can humble yourself before Jesus Christ and simply ask Him to give you the gift of the Holy Spirit. Once you do this, your next prayer is Lord show me who you are, not who I think you are. Follow this with Lord show me who I am, not who I think I am. He will start showing you what all of this is supposed to look like in your life. He will begin to reveal what your destiny actually looks like from an eternal viewpoint.

I will say this, most in the modern church are not willing or ready to do this. But if you are, the Father will unwrap 1700 years of lies and corruption via the Spirit He poured out on the Day of Pentecost. He will show you why you were created before the foundation of the world. Or take the blue pill and forget what I just said.  Either way you get to choose.

4D Worship- The Rest of The Story

Several years ago I wrote about the 4 Dimensions of Worship (4DoW): cloakmen.wordpress.com/250  For me this was groundbreaking in the sense that the Lord was showing me something that I had never experienced or heard anyone ever talk about. The Lord was absolutely blowing my mind with the things He was telling me and showing me. His words to me, “you will do more in the Spirit than you will ever do out of the Spirit.”  He also told me “you cannot be what you do not see.” I took this to heart and believed what He said.

But here’s the whole story after 8.5 years of walking this out.

When God called Abram in Ur He did not tell Abram anything about the journey other than “get up, and get out.”  If He would have, would Abram have left to set upon this journey that would cost him so dearly? Here is what I have come to know. The Lord knows the who, what, when, where, why, and how of your existence. Which means He shows you exactly how much you need at the point you need it. In other words, you are always on a “need to know basis.” Which brings me to 4DoW. When the Lord first showed this to me, I began praying constantly in order to see and do all of the things He was telling me. It was not uncommon to worship for 8 hours at one sitting. While the stories about what He had me do are numerous, that is not the focus here today.

After about 2 years of worshipping in this manner, the Lord just stopped showing me things like He was before. I was a little taken back as to why this would be the case, and pressed Him for an answer. The only thing I was getting was, “be patient.” Well that was not sitting very well with me because the things I wrote in 4DoW, were actually happening. So I began to worship and found a way to “push” my spirit out and do the same things as I was before. So this began a journey into what I later found out was witchcraft!

So while this all began in the Spirit, I was attempting to make it perfect in the flesh. So this went on in this fashion for a couple of years. I was “walking in the spirit” on almost a daily basis. Still finding people in the world who were hurting or needing help and speaking the Lord Jesus Christ to each of them via these spirit walks.

Then one night as I was in the shower and just worshipping the Lord, everything went, how do I say, into pure chaos. I was standing there and all I can say is that it felt like I was stuck between two worlds. I was physically in this world, but my mind was stuck in another and I couldn’t get it to come back. Everything began to spin and all I could do was… “Jesus help!” As He did just that and I was returned to myself, I was shaking with fear in almost a panic. I tried to explain it to my wife but could not seem to get it out.

After this moment, I stopped ALL worship for close to two years. I would only sit and talk with the Lord, but I would not close my eyes and try to see or do anything spiritual. I even stopped the worship service in our church because I could not trust myself to know what to do anymore. If I would try and worship, I would slip right back into the habit of pushing my spirit out. I was terrified the thing that happened in the shower would happen again.

After about two years I began to worship while concentrating on not allowing myself to push out in any way. During this time almost all of the things the Lord had shown me before stopped. I was no longer seeing or hearing much of anything on a consistent basis. Sporadic things here and there. But what He did do was start showing me the truth behind the situation I was in. It was at this point I fell in love with my Father, not for what He could show me or give me, but simply because He is a Great Father! I learned to just sit in the quiet and talk with Him in a conversational manner. He began to show me who I was, and who He was, and was not. I began to ask Him to strip everything out that was not of Him, all the way to the roots. He began this process with me and it is still going on. He explained why everything happened the way it did, and it was actually Him that showed me the way through it all. I began to worship just to spend time with Him, not to get something from Him. I am so very thankful for the process He has me on.

But for clarification purposes, here is what happened. The Lord was showing me what it actually looks like to walk in the Spirit. The Lord did not intend for me to begin living this out, He only wanted me to see where I was headed. The reason I was not allowed to continue in this vein was simply because I was not yet mature enough to walk it out without putting my fingerprints on it. Which is exactly what I did. The Lord told me I could not “be what I did not see.” So, He was gracious enough to show me, without giving me the whole story. Knowing that I could not take the whole story.

So the process of walking in the Spirit in this fashion is very simple. You MUST NEVER push your spirit past the things the Holy Spirit is currently doing or showing you. In order to walk in the Spirit, and perform the things of the Spirit, you must follow the Spirit. You cannot get ahead of what He is showing or saying at any time.

Now this sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it? But the issue is I have never spoken to anyone that could help me or relay to me what this was actually about. Most feel that the purpose for walking in the Spirit is simply about seeing things and praying for people. But I know this is actually the beginning of this process of worship, not the end. But the process involved is immense, and it is so painful that I understand why it is not something that gets attention. Most of the time as soon as we hit anything uncomfortable, we run away screaming “the Lord rebuke thee satan.” What we should do is embrace the place we are and ask the Lord for guidance through this wilderness. He will do it! In fact, He wants it more than you do.

In this whole process I have found what it means to build a relationship with my Father. Not based on what He gives me, but based on what I give Him. It is from this place…you will do more in the Spirit than you will ever do out of the Spirit.

There were several times I wanted to take the original post down, but for whatever reason the Lord wanted it up. I know this is a whole lot in a very short post. If you need help, or have questions, please email me.

Progressing the Digression

I’m going to cover as much as I possibly can without getting too lengthy. But I want to make sure we as a church understand where it is we are in time. In order to do that, we have to go back before we can go on.

One of the great covenants of history we can find and read about in Genesis with Abram. God made a covenant with Abram in which He promised to bless all the nations of the earth via Abram’s seed. In order to seal the deal, God told Abram to take a heifer, she goat, ram, turtle dove, and pigeon.  While these are all very symbolic, I’m not going to touch on this right now. The fact was God told Abram to take these sacrifices and cut them in half (not the birds) and lay them one against the other. This was done in ancient times as what was known as the blood covenant. The animal, or in this case animals, were put on a small incline so all of the blood would drain to the bottom of the incline. At which point whoever was making the blood covenant would walk in the blood barefooted. They would speak the covenant and bring about an understanding that if the covenant was broken, then let their blood be taken for the breech. Both parties would walk in the blood and therefore “seal the deal.”

Crazy thing about Abram’s covenant was the fact God told him to prepare the sacrifices, but then caused a deep sleep to fall on Abram. God would not even let Abram take part in his own covenant. But what did Abram see? He awoke to find God was performing both parts of the covenant, by walking in the blood for Abram, and Himself!

The crazy thing about the five animals sacrificed is the fact that there is a direct correlation to several other scriptures. Most of us who have studied scripture have all been taught about the continuity of numbers. How all 3’s, 4’s, 5’s and so on, will lay down on top of each other.  It is important to look at the number 5 in this passage because God asked Abram to sacrifice 5 animals. Why 5?

Most of us have also been taught the number 5, is the number of “grace. Not that this is wrong. I just believe there is a little more to it. Every time I see the number 5 in scripture it is related to the ministry somehow. So I think more aptly it should be the “grace to minister.” For example: the Levitical priesthood. It was Aaron and his 4 sons who were called together. This equals 5. Then the obvious verse is the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, & Teacher. Five is the grace of (in, to) ministry.

This last verse is where we will begin, Eph 4. “when He ascended on high He led captivity captive and He gave gifts to men.” Great verse! But Paul is not the one who originally wrote this. It was David. In Psalms 68, David writes. “thou hast ascended upon high and has led captivity captive…and hast received gifts for men.” While David did not write down the actual gifts, Paul did. But what David did write down was, why? “so the Lord God may dwell among men.” The gifts were given so the Lord could dwell among mankind via His gifting. So in ministry there five pieces of God. The apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher. Most of us know this as the “5-fold ministry.” But what we cannot figure out, is the correct operation of this ministry. Which is why it is so elusive.

We started with Abram and his covenant with God. Five sacrifices placed on an incline so He could walk in the blood. Now let’s look at history and see where we currently are.

When we look at the church and its evolution through history we find that it became a corrupt corporation which brought more pain than it did much else. At the height of this, the Spirit moved upon a few men. In the 13^th century and marching toward the 15^th century we find men like John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, Martin Luther, and John Calvin. These men became teachers to the masses and taught how men should be able to seek God for themselves. These and many more gave their lives to teach the scripture in truth. This was the first great move outside of the corruption.

Teacher

The next one we find is in the 16^th to the 18^th centuries. At this time the push toward the pastor really came forward. The small congregations began popping up all over the new world. Local pastors began teaching people the importance of salvation and living a Christian lifestyle.

Teacher

                 Pastor

This brings us to the 19^th and 20^th centuries and they bring us the evangelist. Men began to travel the globe a spread gospel. This brings about the great revivals and crusades which literally brought tens of thousands of people to the Lord.

Teacher

                Pastor

                            Evangelist

In the 20^th century, the 1970’s to be exact, the prophet began to catch fire. We began to see prophets jumping up all over the world. Before this time, the prophet really wasn’t taught much. It was in the bible, but not a reality in most churches.

Teacher

                Pastor

                             Evangelist

                                                 Prophet             

In the mid 1990’s there began a quiet push toward the idea of the apostle. It wasn’t until the early 2000’s that there was an explosion of ministers teaching and “becoming” apostles. It was literally every ministry circle I was in, ministers were now apostles. Why? I think for most, it was the current fad. But for those who were truly seeking the face of God. It was timing. At the fullness of time the Father brought about this digression into the truth. From the teacher to the apostle, this truth has been streaking through the timeline of our history. But why would He bring this backwards? Why not just build it the way it was supposed to be in the first place. I mean, the church was not supposed to be founded on teachers. It was founded on the apostles and prophets. At least according to the scripture. So again, why? Let’s take a look.

Teacher

               Pastor

                          Evangelist

                                             Prophet

                                                            Apostle

Now begins the progression of this digression. We had to come to the apostle so the church could have its proper foundation builder. The foundation is Christ, that much is very clear and cannot be altered. But the one who brings foundation, order, and the vision for a ministry, is the apostle. It cannot be built on the teacher, or as we see in almost every church in the world, the pastor. (That is not to say one isn’t a pastor and an apostle) It has to come into the order of the Father. Which is why we will now see the progression of this digression.

Teacher                                                                                                           Teacher

              Pastor                                                                                    Pastor

                          Evangelist                                              Evangelist

                                             Prophet               Prophet

                                                            Apostle

Now we find ourselves right back where Abram found Himself, the blood covenant, and at the bottom of this incline we have the foundation (Christ). The apostle will take this foundation and bring to light the fullness of the church and the ministry. The crazy thing is, Jesus did for us what the Father did for Abram, He walked in the blood and made a covenant for us! All in One He became the sacrifice and the establisher of the covenant.  

Here is the part which will now get tested. Jesus asked James and John this same question, “can you be baptized with my baptism, and drink of the cup I drink from?” Both said yes, and both would be right! If you want to see the power of God hit the earth, you too will walk at the bottom of the incline in the blood of the Lamb. You will make this blood covenant and bring about the power of God in the earth. Remember, all of creation groans and travails, waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God! These sons, will be like The Son, and will be like Him in the earth and beyond.

The question then becomes, will you make this covenant with the Father? Can you, or will you, choose to walk where others have refused to go? Can you let go of your preconceived ideas of the ministry and the church?

If not, you can always stay in the digression…but for some, being saved is not a destination!