-Exodus 25:8-9

“…see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.”

-Exodus 25:40

“…You shall raise up the tabernacle according to its pattern which you were shown on the mountain.”

-Exodus 26:30

An event occurred in my early ministry days that became seed for an eventual harvest from which I continue to eat today.  It was a simple, small thing at the time, yet wonderful to me and perhaps even due to its simplicity profoundly impacting on my life.

The incident happened during a time of crisis.  I had been hired by a denominational church in Jacksonville, Florida, to be their associate pastor in charge of children and teen ministry.  You can imagine my chagrin when I discovered upon arrival in Florida that the senior pastor had resigned without saying anything to me and I was expected to take over his duties indefinitely while the people searched for a new pastor.  At twenty-two I became their “Preacher Boy”, as I was often referred to when being introduced.

There are few words in the English language that would be adequate to express my year and two months in that church, although the word “hell” comes to mind.  (There are others that are adequate—but not appropriate!)  Before my first month had ended, I had learned that the church was divided into two rival factions, and I had turned down a thousand dollar bribe from the head of one of them.  (A man who would regularly “flip the bird” to his son-in-law from the platform as he was receiving the tithe and offering—I am not joking.)

One of my duties on Sundays was to pick up children in the church van for Sunday School and morning service.  While carrying out this duty one particular Sunday, two little black children asked if they could come to church as well, and, of course, I answered affirmatively.  The next week they brought with them many undisciplined friends.  The kids had probably never been to church before and did not feel the need to behave in a subdued fashion while they were there that morning.  They sat in the front next to my fiancée, Lisa Faulkner (now Lisa Ainsworth; I have no doubt that she loves me—if she were ever going to bolt and run, that would have been the day!), and for the first time in my life I prayed with my eyes open while I tried to stare the children down during my “Pastoral Prayer”.

Eventually, I dismissed them to children’s church and explained the situation to the congregation.  No one said anything to me directly, but I could sense that the board meeting scheduled for that evening was going to be interesting.  While contemplating my situation that afternoon, a strange scenario crossed my mind:

I saw one man in the church speak to me and ask me a question concerning my authority to pick up the children.  Even as I pictured the question, I mentally formulated a response to him.

In the meeting that night, all was progressing normally until the topic of new business came up.  The man that I had seen in my vision stated that he had a question for me and with great anger and hatred pointed his finger at me and demanded to know who gave me the authority to pick up the children.  His question was word –for-word  what I had seen and heard that afternoon, and of course I was prepared with an answer.

With a huff and a puff the man quit the church, as did the would-be briber; and I was left with an astounding challenge to my doctrinal understanding.

God had spoken to me, and warned me about an event in the future!

I wish I could say that I immediately made major changes in my life and began to seek to hear Holy Spirit regularly.  It took, however, another three years before I began to let go of those “theological hang-ups” that I had trusted in and embraced the reality of a supernatural walk with Yahweh by the Spirit in the now.

Eventually, however, the aforementioned seed germinated into a major shift in my life, my understanding, and ministry philosophy.

If Yahweh has spoken in the past, and if indeed He was willing to speak to me once, does it not hold true that He would like to speak more at present as well as in the future?

You people of The Rock, of course, know that He does; as a matter of fact, He very zealously wants to speak to His church today.

Consider the above scripture concerning Moses.  It was obviously important to Yahweh that He communicated to Moses the necessity of building the tabernacle, the place of His manifested presence with the Israelites, according to a pattern.  Furthermore, this pattern was revealed to Moses by Yahweh Himself.

Today our lives and our churches are meant to be the places of Yahweh’s manifestation; we are to be His glory.  He has made this possible by His Son’s life, death, and resurrection, and the subsequent impartation to the church of Holy Spirit.  Could He be saying to each believer, and to the Pastor of each church, “Be careful to build according to My pattern?”  Could this pattern be as unique as each individual himself?  Could the pattern be as unique as each church’s situation?  Yes!  Yet all too often we settle on an attempt to try something that has worked somewhere before, or we listen for the latest plan or program hoping someone has found the key to our problems!

Someone does have the key, His name is Yahweh, and He wants to communicate that key to us by His Spirit.

All of Yahweh’s creation reflects His glory and character.  Indeed, as I consider the above examples, I am reminded of Yahweh’s faithfulness in our lives and in His Kingdom, expressed on the earth.

As we partake in His nature by the Spirit, this same quality, this attribute of faithfulness and constancy becomes one that we possess as well.  The true Spirit-filled believer is not “flaky” or “fly-by-night” but sure and focused on that which Yahweh has called him to do.  Though miracles can and do happen, they are merely calling cards of a Kingdom that is invasive, earth changing and relentless in its pursuit to bring the kingdoms of this world to the place that they have become the kingdoms of our God and of His Christ. (1 Cor. 15:24; Rev. 11:15)

We must allow Yahweh’s word to us to be our identity, goal, and pursuit in life.  We know Him and have become like Him with His creative power in our mouths, obedient lives, and actions.

The temporal world loves that which is flashy and showy.  Entertainment reigns as chief in society’s priorities.  Tragically, much of the church world becomes entranced by glitter and lights as well.  Yet, I am convinced that Yahweh’s word, when obeyed with diligence and faithfulness will change the face of this world spiritually and eternally, even as the glaciers have marked New England geographically.

Not many of us could fit the job description for a superstar or super hero but we can be faithful to Yahweh, and to His church, and to His word.  This quality and the dynamic of Holy Spirit within us will bring success and vindication and the fullness of the Kingdom in the earth.  We must go beyond involvement and into dedicated commitment.

The Phenomenon has happened so many times that I have come to expect it and look forward to the chances I have to sit down and converse with those who walk with Yahweh.

Recently, through several discussions, I have been confronted with a reality that many Spirit-empowered believers are hesitant to declare that they have a day-by-day completeness and maturity in Christ.  I listen as a given individual releases awesome revelation, provides supernatural insight, and sets forth what is obviously a word of Yahweh’s purpose, destiny, and identity but then feels the need to amend their statement with a watered down trickle of drivel such as, “but I know that I’m not there yet,”

Now the above example may seem innocent and innocuous, but I am convinced that it is a subtle manifestation of the antichrist spirit that permeates much of the church world today.  Creation longs for the revealing of the sons of Yahweh, and I am convinced that there are many waiting for somebody to rise above condemnation and public opinion and say “I am in Yahshua, and His Spirit is in me, His anointing is upon me and I have been prepared for this hour!”

Why is that so hard to say?  Certainly we all know who we once were, and even today could give a list of our failings and shortcomings—but nowhere can I find a scriptural basis for receiving our identity from any place other than the completed work of Yahshua and His proceeding prophetic word to us.

Apostle Peter upon encountering the crippled beggar at the gate Beautiful did not feel the need to dredge up his feelings of failure from having denied Yahshua but made an awesome declaration of “being” in Yahweh when he stated, “what I have I give to you.”  Had Peter taken the other course of watering down the Christ anointing in his life, the poor beggar probably would have remained a fixture at the temple gate the rest of his life.

Tragically, most church folks today probably relate more to the cripple in the story than to Peter.  We sit at the beautiful gateway of the kingdom too crippled in our identities to confidently rise up and walk into our purpose and destiny.

If you fit the above category then let me serve as Peter today and say that I have found a confidence in being complete daily in Him.  I enjoy His presence and live each day with an expectation of manifesting His glory; fully trusting that tomorrow will bring only an increase in that ability!

Would you join me?  Together we can enter into His provision and purpose with a joyful confidence in Yahweh’s work in us; like that reformed beggar we can move into the place that is designed for us, “walking, leaping, and praising Yahweh” as we do!

Even as I make the above statement I recall meeting a man one day who produced out of his wallet a business card sized list of “proof-texted” answers to the question, “Who am I in Jesus?”  I do not know if he carried that card to occasionally give himself a pep talk or if he planned on pulling it out as sort of a cheat sheet if he ever came under severe demonic attack, but either way it sort of proves my point.  True identity is revealed to us and becomes a part of our lives to the extent that we need no prompting—we simply “are”!

That is one reason why I love to use our God Yahweh’s name!  It means, “I Am,” and “The One whose nature it is to exist”!  Yahweh instructed Moses to tell Pharaoh if he had any questions as to who sent him that “I Am” did!  Talk about confidence.  Our God said, “Just tell them that I Am sent you’”—there is no double mindedness here, just the confidence of one who knows exactly who He is!

It will come as no surprise to anyone when I say that Yahshua was just as confident as His Daddy concerning His person and identity.  His name actually means, “The One who exists is salvation”!  When, in John 17, Yahshua is recorded as He prays to the Father He declares, “I have manifested Your name to them”; which He did by His words, actions, and even, because of His name, by way of introduction.  Yahshua was so confident in His identity in the Father that on at least one occasion during an exchange with the religious leaders He declared, “Before Abraham was, I Am”!  In the gospel of John we have a record of seven declarations by Yahshua that began with the two words, “I Am.”

Which brings me to the subject of “sonship.”  It is apparent to me that the lack of identity in the church has a lot to do with our lack of ministering in the resurrection power of Christ.  We are told consistently that we are dead yet alive in Christ—seated with Him in heavenly places currently and yet most of our experience would seem to indicate otherwise.  I am convinced that all of this is changing as spiritual fathers are being raised up in the earth and providing opportunities for change to come into individual lives through the crucible of sonship.

Scripture speaks concerning Yahshua that He “learned obedience” by the things He suffered and the context seems to indicate that this learning process came through submission to His Father’s will!

Herein lies the secret of His confidence, I believe, in the training, discipline, love, government and approval of His Father.

In the womb of this relationship true identity was formed which has shaken and continues to shake the earth.  Creation still travails, longing for mature, tested, identified sons to be revealed and Kingdom churches, headed by true spiritual fathers, are to be the continuation of this identity forging process in the earth!

For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of Yahweh, to do righteousness and justice, that Yahweh may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”  – Genesis 18:17-19

…”Did Yahweh not make them one, having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth.”     -Malachi 2:15

Perhaps one of the most powerful revelations that I have ever received is the concept that by my faithfulness as a father, and a minister, I potentially am reaching into the future and touching generations (many who will never even know my name), and impacting them for the Kingdom of Yahweh.

Our God has always wanted a people who would represent Him in the earth accurately. He has wanted a people who would rule and reign by their righteousness under His authority.

Sadly, all too often His representatives have been too shortsighted, losing perspective on His purposes and the importance of sowing into the next generation. Like Esau, they have sold their birthright for a momentary “pot of stew, “ a pleasure that quickly passed away. How pitiful it is to read that Esau repented and sought for the blessing (the privilege of being Yahweh’s earthly representative) with tears – yet to no avail.

Like Abraham, let us be those worthy of Yahweh’s confidence – a people who recognize the window of time available to us to impact those who will follow afterward. They will not fulfill their ultimate purpose without our faithfulness – and we will not receive the fullness of our inheritance without their success.

“My cities shall again spread out
through prosperity;
Yahweh will again comfort Zion,
And  will again choose Jerusalem.””

Then I raised my eyes and looked, and there were four horns.  And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these?”  So he answered me “These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”  Then Yahweh showed me four craftsmen.  And I said, “What are these coming to do?”  So he said, “These are the horns that scattered Judah, so that no one could lift up his head; but the craftsmen are coming to terrify them, to cast out the horns of the nations that lifted up their horn against the land of Judah to scatter it.”

– Zechariah 1:17-21

Several years ago I became extremely dissatisfied with the popular teachings in Charismatic circles concerning spiritual warfare.  It is not that I doubt the veracity of the present existence of two spiritual kingdoms, nor do I have a problem believing that these kingdoms are diametrically opposed, indeed at war.  I certainly believe in the reality of an evil being called the devil, and understand that he has demonic spirits in alignment with him and against Yahweh, Yahshua, and us.  The shift in my thinking, however, revolves around the way this warfare is waged, and to what activities our attention should be focused.

Let me explain.

There was a time when I became aware that some of the services that I was leading were giving an inordinate amount of time to singing out against the devil, speaking out against this or that ruling spirit and of course just sort of “binding” a lot of bad things in general.  Probably my favorite song at the time was “Stand back you spirits of darkness, stay out of this dwelling place, we will war against all evil with praise.”  No doubt there are many bad things to bind, and as Paul wrote, we do not war “after the flesh”, but, truthfully, one will not find what I was doing anywhere in the life of Yahshua.  One day, Holy Spirit spoke to me as I was singing the above song and asked, “Why are you singing to them?”…Good question!

Yahshua gives an interesting directive to the “seventy” of His followers who had received victory and authority over demonic spirits in Luke Ch. 10, verse 20.  In the middle of their astonishment and “in your face, devils” gloating, Yahshua cautions them not to rejoice so much in their power over demons, but instead in the reality that their “names are written in heaven!”  The wonderful thing to Yahshua was access to the Father.  Amen!

To understand that statement is to understand Yahshua’s purpose.  His goal was to bring many sons to glory—to bring a people to a place of forgiveness and relationship by the Spirit with Himself and especially His Father.  The climax, to me, of the gospel according to John the Apostle, is when the post-resurrection Christ speaks to Mary Magdalene and directs, “Go to my brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’” With His entire life, death, and resurrection, and then those few words, Yahshua brought us to a place of brotherhood with Him and sonship with His Dad.

To say that we have access to the Father we must recognize that we also are saying that He has access to us.  That in fact is my point.  Yahshua constantly attributed His success to one fact—He did and said what he saw and heard from His Father.  In so doing, He put “shoe-leather” to His prayer, “Father, Your Kingdom come…Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven!”

Yahweh wants sons loosed into the earth to bring about His will on it—sons who will become both builders and building blocks of His temple!

Over and over again in the scriptures the theme of building and rebuilding and possessing the land is visited, and yet the church in recent years has been more concerned with escaping and living some ethereal angel-wing wearing, harp-playing existence in the sweet by and by that is only rarely and then vaguely spoken about in the Bible.  Let me remind you that the “New Jerusalem” written about in Revelation comes down from heaven, and I believe is already coming down to the hearts and minds of those who will receive it!

Those “who will receive” then become the hearing and obeying manifesters of Yahweh’s Kingdom here in the earth, “builders” according to Yahweh’s specifications.  Remember how Moses was instructed to build the tabernacle “according to the pattern”?  That was because the tabernacle pictured Yahshua, and His true church, the present and yet coming Kingdom.

It is no wonder, then, as Zechariah writes, that the presence of craftsmen (builders) terrifies the enemies of Israel (the church).  Those enemies are the trespassers in Yahweh’s chosen territory and need to be dispossessed.  Not by political nor military activity, but by the “Righteous” living simple and holy lives and walking under Yahweh’s spoken authority here in the earth.  His desire is to demonstrate, bless, and prosper us until His greatness is recognized by all as either a drawing or intimidating reality.

That is spiritual warfare!

No doubt as we move more and more into this reality the church will go from being mocked to being persecuted.  Yet that is only further evidence of the fear that Yahweh’s enemies will experience when faced with His visage and presence in the church.  As we saw in the life of Yahshua, His enemies, both natural and spiritual , in blind rage and ignorance actually helped bring about the purpose of Yahweh in the crucifixion.  Their intimidation and fear and total cluelessness as to Yahweh’s intentions helped bring about His ultimate goal—through the one seed, the harvest of many.

I look forward to our times together, fellow-builders and fellow-craftsmen!

The name Peter means “rock” implying that this “rock” of revelation would cause Peter to become like a rock as well.  He became one who would be used in the building of Christ’s Kingdom.

This prophecy must have always stayed with Apostle Peter because we find its theme later on in his writings.  He calls Yahshua the “Chief Cornerstone,” and the “stone which the builders rejected,” and also a “stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.”  Yahshua, according to Peter, is a living stone and those joined to Him have become living stones as well; all built together, I believe, by their desire and ability to hear their God’s voice, and to obey Him in establishing His Kingdom and glory in the earth.

What a wonderful thing it is then to be a part of this ongoing revelatory and Kingdom building process.  It is as if the book of Acts has not yet come to a close.  I am walking today in a reality of life in the Spirit I could not have fathomed ten years ago!

In Matthew sixteen Yahshua, after changing Peter’s name and speaking the aforementioned prophecy, declared also that Peter would receive the keys of the Kingdom and would be able to bind and loose that which has already been bound and loosed in heaven; again inferring an ongoing revelatory process.  This process should come as no surprise to us since Yahshua Himself attributed his success to the ability to see and hear what His Father was doing and saying.

I bless you to continually receive these “keys” and in so doing to see the reality of Yahshua’s Kingdom come to bear in the earth and in your life.

This occurrence was unusual because I rarely title any message and this conversation with Yahweh was about six months before I was  to travel to meet with them. It became obvious that this ministry time and message were very much on the heart of Yahweh.

The crux of the message was that the Charismatic movement had conditioned us to become a people who look forward to the next big event or experience without the recognition of the responsibility to live daily in the Spirit so as to bring the Kingdom of Yahweh to a mature expression through our lives and in our time.

This mindset creates a people who do not “rise up” into a place in which they are Yahweh’s glory in the earth but instead constantly wait for Yahweh to “break through” for them, thus remaining a hopeful yet immature people.

In no way is this to suggest that we revert back to the Evangelical model in which we do what we do “for God” but rather that we recognize the power and authority that are in our lives since Holy Spirit is resident within us!

Yahweh’s word is as powerful when spoken through our lips as when the Apostle Paul spoke in New Testament times.

WE, THEREFORE, MUST BECOME THE PROTAGONISTS IN OUR OWN CHANGE!

A certain amount of change is, of course, inevitable. Time continues to move and we age and react to the variety of experiences that “continuing to live” presents to us.

The life and earth shaping change, however, will require effort, commitment and faithfulness to achieve. We must hear Yahweh’s word and by Holy Spirit’s enabling power, dedicate ourselves to bringing this word and its resulting change to a reality.

2011 is here! Are there areas in your life in which Yahweh is requesting change? Is there something that He is asking you to establish in the earth? Have you been “putting up with” troubles that are, in actuality, meant to be underneath your feet?

In large part 2011 will be what you cause it to be. Ready? Set? CHANGE!