I Stand at the door and knock.
If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,
I will come in and eat with him and he with me.
(Revelation 3:20)
Here I am!
The eternal Christ is the I am.
He has always been and always will be.
The First and the Last the Beginning and the End,
The Alpha and the Omega.
The present everywhere, self-existent, God.
I Stand At The Door And Knock!
From the Creation, to this day
Christ Jesus has been a knocking at the heart of every person
In every nation, every believer and every Church.
He is knocking at your heart and my heart.
If Anyone Hears My Voice!
In Revelation 3:20, He is speaking to believers.
This is a continual knocking, a continual revelation of Himself.
Christ Jesus speaks to the heart of each person;
He speaks through His Word to each person and to His Church.
He speaks through prophesy, dreams and visions
To each believer and each Church.
If Anyone Opens The Door!
Those who hear His voice must then open the door for Him.
He is knocking continually,
But each believer and each Church must open the door.
Each person and each Church must receive Him personally,
Intimately, as He is.
Not something they heard from someone else,
Not some concept of Him,
But the real person of Christ Jesus.
The Church in the time of Christ
Thought that they would recognize Him, but did not.
They had a preconceived ideal of how He would come
And what He would look like.
They were diligent students of the Scriptures,
But failed to recognize their Messiah.
They heard His voice, literally, but shut the door in His face.
On the other hand the first apostles heard His voice
And opened the door for Him.
They left all they had to follow Him.
His sheep heard His voice.
I Will Come In And Eat With Him And He With Me
Christ Jesus will always come in through an opened door
And have intimate communion with that person and that Church.
The first apostles and disciples enjoyed such communion.
Every true believer since that time has had the same experience.
This communion will culminate
In The Wedding Supper Of The Lamb,
Which the Bride of Christ will be privileged to enjoy.
Christ Jesus goes on to say to the Laodicean Church:
To him who overcomes,
I will give the right to sit with me on my throne,
Just as I overcame
And sat down with my Father on his throne.
He who has an ear,
Let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
(Revelation 3:21-22)
After a person is “saved”
There is an overcoming that must take place.
We are “saved” to overcome this world and its ways.
Christ Jesus showed us the Way.
He is the Way and the Truth and the LIFE.
We can do all things through Christ in us, if we will.
If we will continually “knock;”
Continually hear the voice of Christ in us;
Continually have intimate communion with Him.
Christ Jesus says to the Church in Laodicea:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness,
The ruler of God's creation.
I know your deeds, that you are neither cold or hot.
I wish you were either one or the other!
So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold--
I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
You say, 'I am rich, I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.'
But you do not realize that you are wretched,
Pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire,
So you can cover your shameful nakedness;
And salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.
So be earnest, and repent.
Here I am!
I stand at the door and knock.
If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,
I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
(Revelation 3:14-20)
When we fail to stay in continual communion with Christ Jesus,
We enter into a man made Christianity,
That does not confront the culture we live in.
We enter into the I'm OK, your OK attitude of the world,
Which is wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
As Christ Jesus says, we must buy from Him
Gold refined in the fire
To cover what is otherwise our shameful nakedness,
And salve to put on our eyes so that we can see.
Gold refined in the fire are righteous acts we have taken
In response to the voice of Christ in us;
Standing for Christ in the face of the inevitable opposition
That occurs
In a world controlled by the devil.
We do not necessarily seek confrontation
But we do not turn away when we are confronted.
Communion with Christ Jesus is salve for our eyes,
Which enables us to see the world as he sees it;
Lost and destined for hell.
After His Crucifixion He commanded His disciples
To wait in Jerusalem
To receive what the Father had promised.
120 out of all those He had ministered to waited.
They had no idea what they were waiting for.
They were simply being obedient.
Scripture records:
He appeared to them over a period of forty days
And spoke to them about the kingdom of God.
On one occasion, while he was eating with them
(His disciples),
He gave them this command:
'Do not leave Jerusalem,
But wait for the gift my Father promised,
Which you have heard me speak about.
For John Baptized with water,
But in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
So when the met together they asked him,
'Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom
To Israel?'
He said to them:
'It is not for you to know the times or dates
The Father has set by his own authority.
But you will receive power
When the Holy Spirit comes on you;
And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
And in all Judea and Samaria,
And to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:4-8)
Hear I am, Christ Jesus said in Revelation 3:20,
And there He was on The Day of Pentecost;
Christ, the Holy Spirit, entering in to His disciples;
The Kingdom of God entering into them;
The Kingdom of God restored to the earth in the 120
And all those who subsequently received the same experience,
Up to this very day.
Here I am!
After the resurrection of Christ Jesus Scripture records:
Then they returned to Jerusalem
From the hill called the Mount of Olives,
A Sabbath day walk from the city.
When they arrived,
They went upstairs to the room where they were staying.
Those present were Perter, John, James and Andrew;
Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew;
James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot,
And Judas son of James.
They all joined together constantly in prayer,
Along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus,
And his brothers. (Acts 1:12-14)
They all joined together constantly in prayer;
In other words they constantly, persistently,
“Knocked.” on the door of the “I am.”
Who was with them, and soon to be in them.
Then on that day, The Day of Pentecost,
They received the fire of God making them “hot” for Him.
The received “vision” from Christ Jesus,
Enabling them to see as He sees.
They went on to “overcome” the world by the blood of the Lamb
And the word of their testimony.
They obtained gold refined in the fire of their passion for God;
Righteous acts inspired by Christ in them.
Christ Jesus prayed that all those who would believe in Him would be ONE, just as He and the Father are ONE; that they be brought to complete unity so that the world would know that He was sent by the Father. (John 17:20-23)
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Worship God In Spirit And In Truth
The Purpose of God In Creation
The purpose of God in creation was to obtain a Bride for His Son;
A Bride who of Her own free will would choose to marry His Son;
A Bride who would be commensurate with His Son in character and being;
A Bride who would love His Son as He loved His Son;
A Bride who would become ONE with His Son
By the power of His Holy Spirit.
A Bride with whom His Son could enjoy intimate communion for eternity.
This purpose of God is the framework for all of Scriptural history.
In The New Covenant God Seeks Three Things
1.Those who will worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. (John 4:23)
2.Glory (John 8:50)
3.The lost (Luke 19:10)
It seems only logical that the Church of God would endeavor
To give to their God what He seeks when it is possible for them to do so.
When the people of God worship Him in Spirit and in Truth,
He releases His manifest, tangible Presence; His Glory;
This brings about a God consciousness in believers and unbelievers,
And all know assuredly that Christ Jesus was sent as their Lord and Savior.
Today, Christ Jesus is seeking those who will worship Him
In Spirit and in Truth,
Who love Him with all their heart, soul, mind and strength
So that the whole world will know that Christ Jesus
Was sent by God the Father.
True Worshipers
Jesus said to the woman at the well:
Believe me woman, a time is coming
When you will worship the Father neither on this mountain
Nor in Jerusalem.
You Samaritans worship what you do not know;
We worship what we do know;
For salvation is from the Jews.
Yet a time is coming and has now come
When the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth,
For they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.
God is Spirit, and his worshipers must worship in Spirit and in Truth.
(John 4:21-24)
When the people of God worship in Spirit and in Truth,
They are worshiping in and through Christ, who is the Spirit, who is the Truth;
Then God manifests Himself.
It is not a specific place; it can be any place where this occurs.
When the people of God worship Him in His Spirit and in His Truth;
Through Christ in them; having been born again of His Spirit;
Then He will reveal His manifest Presence and His Glory.
The people of God must worship in Spirit and in Truth,
Or it will be only empty noise emitted into the air.
Your Kingdom Come On Earth As In Heaven
The primary objective of God on earth is to raise up a Bride for His Son;
A Bride who will become ONE with Him by the power of His Spirit in Her.
Then His Kingdom will come to earth as in Heaven.
The Lord taught His disciples how to pray.
Part of the prayer was that the Kingdom of God would come to earth
As in Heaven.
From Scripture we can see that in Heaven there is continuous worship.
The Bride of Christ brings the Kingdom of God to earth as in Heaven
When we worship God as it is done in Heaven.
This is what occurred in The Tabernacle of David and is our example.
The Psalms, many of which were born out of the Tabernacle of David,
Are our teacher.
When the Kingdom of God comes to earth as in Heaven,
The devil is excluded, his work destroyed.
The devil has no access to the Kingdom of God;
When the Kingdom of God comes to earth as in Heaven
The Presence and Glory of God is manifested unhindered
By the evil, demonic principalities and powers in the heavenly realms.
Meetings Consecrated By His Glory
The primary purpose in Christians gathering together
Should be the same as it was in the days of Moses
And the original Tent of Meeting, the “prototype” for the Church today;
That is to meet with God, that He might speak to us.
When we meet for this primary purpose,
Then God will consecrate the meeting by His Glory;
Then He will dwell in our midst;
Then we will know that He is our God who brought us out of Egypt;
Then we are differentiated from all the other peoples of the earth;
Then the peoples of the earth will know where to come to meet with God;
In the midst of the people of God; in the midst of His Glory.
For generations to come this burnt offering (worship)
Is to be made regularly
At the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the Lord.
There I will meet you and speak to you;
There I will meet with the Israelites,
And the place will be consecrated by my glory.
So I will consecrate the Tent of Meeting and the altar
And will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests.
Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God.
They will know that I am the Lord their God,
Who brought them out of Egypt So that I might dwell among them.
I am the Lord their God. (Exodus 29:42-46)
It is the desire of God to meet and speak with us,
To consecrate our meetings with His glory;
Then His Kingdom comes to earth as in Heaven;
Then it is clear who belongs to God and who does not;
Then the people He calls by His Spirit know where to come to meet Him;
Then He adds people to His Bride according to His will.
The whole purpose of “Church” or assembling together
Is so that God can meet with us and speak to us and add to us.
Pentecost Began A Never Ending Revival
The Day of Pentecost ignited a never ending Revival;
The Father imparted His Holy Spirit to indwell His saints;
He baptized (immersed) His saints in the Holy Spirit and Fire.
They received power when this happened;
Power to live for Christ and power to do the works of Christ.
Christ Jesus said He came to bring a fire;
This fire was ignited on The Day of Pentecost
And has been burning in every generation since.
The only people who can worship in Spirit and in Truth
Are those who have received their personal Day of Pentecost.
Christ Jesus is “The Charismatic” and the “Inventor of Pentecost.”
On the Day of Pentecost He gave birth to a “Charismatic people;”
He, reproduced Himself in His people, Christ in them their hope of Glory,
As the Book of acts clearly demonstrates.
Revivals Are Times And Meetings Consecrated By God's Glory
God consecrated the meetings of John Westley and George Whitfield
With His Glory as they broke from the Church of England
To preach the Gospel to the common people
In the open fields of the countryside.
God consecrated the meetings of the First Great Awakening in America.
For approximately ten years God reawakened America
To the reality of His Christ;
Falling upon whole communities and regions,
Using Johnathan Edwards as one of the instruments of His Glory.
God consecrated the meetings of the Second Great Awakening
For many years,
As He reawakened America to the reality of His Christ;
Using Charles Finney as one of the instruments of His Glory.
God consecrated the meetings of Maria Etter with His Glory,
Falling on whole communities and regions,
Healing the worst diseases and afflictions.
God brought the America and the world to the Azusa Street Mission
And William Seymour in a great move of the Spirit of God,
Revealing His Glory.
God poured out His Spirit on mainline churches,
In the Charismatic Renewal, revealing His Glory.
God brought the world to Toronto Canada to experience His manifest Glory;
Consecrating the meetings with His Glory.
These are but a few examples of the meetings and Revivals
God has visited upon His Church, consecrated by His Glory.
The out working of each of these “Revivals” continues to this day.
When We Meet With God Our Face Will Shine
When Moses met with God his face shone with the Glory of God.
God wants the face of His Church to shine with the Glory of God.
When Steven testified for God his face shone with the Glory of God;
He looked like and angel;
When you stand in the Presence of God your face will shine with His Glory.
When You Meet With God You Will Be Forever Changed
Abraham heard from God and was willing to leave his homeland
And go to a place he never knew.
God changed Abraham's name and his destiny with a covenant.
Jacob wrestled with God and had his name and his nature changed;
God gave him a permanent physical mark of that meeting.
Moses met God and was commissioned with a task and destiny;
To deliver Israel from Egypt.
He was changed from shepherd to deliverer.
David met God and had only one desire in life; to be in His Presence;
He was changed from shepherd to king.
On the Day of Pentecost, the Church met God
And were intoxicated with His Glory,
Spoke in languages they did not know,
And went on to change the world through Christ in them.
When God met you, you were changed from being dead,
To being alive in Christ.
You can now do exceedingly and abundantly
Above what you can thing or ask
Because of the power of Christ in you.
Access To The Presence Of God:
The Mercy Seat Which Was Over The Ark Of His Presence
In The Most Holy Place
The Mercy Seat provides our only approach to God.
Because it has been sprinkled with the blood of Christ,
The same blood we have applied to our lives having received Christ by faith.
The Mercy Seat, sprinkled with the blood of Christ Jesus
Allows God to meet with us and speak to us.
Access To The Most Holy Place
The sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving allows us to enter the courts of God,
And place our offering on the Brazen Altar,
But the Mercy Seat, where God speaks to us, is in the Most Holy Place.
To get to the Most Holy Place we must enter the Holy Place.
To enter the Holy Place we must be a priest, consecrated to God,
Washed, anointed, clothed with Christ
And sprinkled and applied with His blood.
To enter the Most Holy Place we must then offer sacred incense,
Acceptable to God;
True worship from our hearts that touches His heart;
Worship in Spirit and in Truth.
We Know That Our Worship Has Touched The Heart Of God
When He Speaks To Us And Reveals His Presence And Glory
That is God's way of acknowledging that our worship has reached Him,
And is acceptable to Him.
God lives in the praises of His people;
We become ONE with Him as we praise and then worship Him;
We are transformed by the words of our mouth, coming from our hearts;
We may begin in the natural but we then allow Christ in us to take over,
Which allows us to enter the supernatural, the realm of the Spirit of God;
The Gory realm of God.
In the Book of Revelation the apostle John said
That he was “in the Spirit” on the Lord's day.
In this condition, Christ Jesus was able to speak to him
And give him a great revelation; the Book of Revelation.
Praise and Worship enables us to get “in the Spirit;”
When we are “in the Spirit” God can speak to us as He desires.
To hear from God we must get “in the Spirit.”
All those “in the Spirit” are ONE with God and each other.
When we are in the Glory realm of God
He manifests His Presence and Glory;
He speaks to us, He communes with us, He loves on us
And we love on Him.
In the atmosphere of His Presence and Glory sinners come to Christ Jesus;
Then the sick are healed and the dead are raised.
All things are possible and come to pass in the Glory realm of God.
In the atmosphere of the Presence and Glory of God the devil is driven out.
We must not satisfy ourselves with glimpses of His Presence and Glory.
God wants to immerse us in His Glory continually;
He wants us to live in “The Secret Place of the Most High God;”
He wants His Kingdom to come to earth as in Heaven and reside there,
Continually.
His objective is that we become ONE with Him and live in His Presence.
We need to press into worship
Until we are immersed in His Presence and Glory.
True worship lifts Christ up and allows God to manifest His Presence;
Then He draws all men to Himself;
This is New Covenant evangelism and the Glory He is seeking;
God is glorified when His people worship Him in Spirit and in Truth;
God is glorified when people accept His Christ as their Lord and Savior
Every Christian can participate in this most glorious enterprise;
No one is excluded; nothing is more important.
The Bride Of Christ Will Join With David
In Asking But One Thing
One thing I ask, this is what I seek
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord
All the days of my life
To gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
And seek Him in His temple. (Psalm 27:4)
As God Seeks those who will worship Him in Spirit and in Truth,
The Bride of Christ seeks to worship Him who is the Spirit and the Truth;
And they become ONE; the Glory of Christ Jesus is manifested;
Sinners come to Christ Jesus as the incense of Praise and Worship
Covers the Mercy Seat and access to the Presence is opened.
True Worship To The Living God Comes From The Heart
The Tabernacle of David, Zion, Exemplified This Worship
Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.
(Psalm 127:1)
The Lord is the architect and builder of Zion; David was an instrument.
The house of God is built with living stones,
Those filled with Christ, who is LIFE.
The fire of God is in Zion, his furnace in Jerusalem (His Church).
(Isaiah 31:9)
God infuses The Bride of Christ with His fire.
Her love for Him is as strong as death and burns like a blazing fire.
The House of God is built with Living Stones on Fire.
True worship is born out of the fire of God.
And comes from a consecrated heart.
It is based on an understanding of who is being worshiped.
You have to “know” God to be able to worship Him as God.
You have to “know” God to worship in His Spirit and in His Truth.
King David was a man after God's own heart.
David sought one thing above all else: the heart of God.
King David sought the heart of God and found Him as the Psalms attest.
David knew where he came from; watching over the sheep.
He knew that God had brought him from death to LIFE,
From shepherd to king;
That his LIFE was found in the Presence of God by the Holy Spirit within him.
God showed David, Gad and Nathan what true worship was to consist of,
And David built his Tabernacle and operated in it accordingly.
It was not elaborate, only a simple tent.
The Tabernacle of David exemplified the praise and worship that God seeks.
Because there He was worshiped in Spirit and in Truth.
That is why it is called Zion, the City of God, where the fire of God resides,
Foreshadowing the New Jerusalem that was to come;
The final and eternal City of the Living God, The Bride of Christ.
God revealed Himself to David and all Israel through His manifest Presence;
God supernaturally “kept” and prospered Israel for 36 years
During David's reign.
The Tabernacle of David, was the vehicle that brought this about.
It is the prototype of God's desire for His Church today.
God was enthroned on the praises
That emanated from the Tabernacle of David.
He desires to be enthroned on the praise of His Church today.
That is what it means to “lift Jesus up.”
He is lifted up when we enthrone Him on our praise and worship.
He then draws all men to Himself; New Covenant evangelism.
God will “keep” and prosper His Church today
When we enthrone Him in our praise and worship from our hearts;
Then, He will live in the praises of His people and manifest his Presence;
Pushing back the evil, demonic authorities and powers
In the heavenly realms
Giving the people of God victory wherever they are;
Creating the “open Heaven” so often spoken of, the Glory realm of God.
The Tabernacle of David was and is called Zion,
God's “Holy Hill,” the City of God,
The Israel of God, the Church of God, the Bride of Christ, the Heart of God;
Zion comprises a people, abandoned to God, who have laid down their lives,
And become ONE with Christ Jesus and the Father,
In accordance with the prayer of Christ Jesus in John 17;
A people in complete unity; ONE with God,
By the power of the Spirit of God.
In the last days, in our day, God promises to rebuild David's fallen tent:
After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent.
Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it,
That the remnant of men may seek the Lord,
And all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord,
Who does these things
That have been known for ages. (Acts 15:16-18)
The Tabernacle of David will be rebuilt
That the remnant of men may seek the Lord in the last days.
Worship In Spirit And In Truth Eliminates The Veil
The Ark of the Covenant in The Tabernacle of David was not behind a veil.
There was no need for this because there was continuous worship
The worshipers were ONE with their God
And there was no need for separation.
Their worship was a sweet smelling incense offered up to God
That covered the Mercy Seat.
Worshiping in Spirit and in Truth protected them
From the awesome holiness of God;
The same holiness that killed Uzzah when he irreverently touched the ark.
King David understood this and set up The Tabernacle of David to this end.
The Tabernacle worshipers offered God continual worship, 24 hours a day.
The Tabernacle of David is the type worship
That God intended that we possess in the New Covenant;
That we continually worship God in Spirit and in Truth.
That we live continually in His Presence, continually in His Glory.
On The Day Of Pentecost, And Thereafter,
God Poured Out His Spirit On All Flesh
To enable us to get “in the Spirit” and out of the flesh,
So that He might meet with us individually and corporately and speak to us.
The apostle Peter declare about this day:
In the last days (the final two thousand years of “Time”)
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy
(That is hear from God and speak that received to His people),
Your young men will see visions, your old men dream dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
(Acts 2:17-18)
The Day of Pentecost was the beginning of a Revival that was to never end,
And it continues to this day in the hearts of those called by God.
Give Me No Rest And Give Yourselves No Rest
Until Zion Is Made The Praise Of The Earth
God says to every Christian: “Give yourselves no rest,
And give Me no rest, until Zion is made the praise of the earth.” (Isaiah 62)
Zion will be made the praise of the earth by the power of the Spirit of God
In those who worship God in Spirit and in Truth, in the here and now,
And bring the Kingdom of God to earth as in heaven.
The Old Covenant And It's Ark
The Ark of the Covenant
Was first made to reside in The Tabernacle of Moses.
It contained the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone,
The container of manna and Aaron's rod that budded.
The Ark stood behind the veil in the Holy of Holies.
Daily, the high priest burned incense before the veil
Which was before the Ark.
This incense was symbolic of the worship in The Tabernacle of David.
The worship in The Tabernacle of David
Allowed God to have the Ark of His Presence, unveiled;
It allowed God to continually release His Glory and Presence.
In the Tabernacle of Moses, once a year,
The high priest went behind the veil,
Without his priestly garments, barefoot,
To sprinkle the Mercy Seat with blood, to atone for the sins of the nation.
He went before the Mercy Seat, vulnerable, risking his life.
Just as with the high priest, in worship,
We come before the Mercy Seat of Christ.
When we worship in Spirit and in Truth our worship is acceptable to God.
We are testifying that we filled with Christ, and living in the New Covenant
Purchased by the blood of Christ Jesus
That He, Himself, sprinkled on the Mercy Seat in Heaven for us.
Our very lives have been purchased by the blood of Christ Jesus.
Christ Jesus found us dead and has given us LIFE.
Our worship is our response to that reality.
The New Covenant Ark
In the New Covenant God, takes His law out of the box, the Ark,
And puts it in the minds and writes it on the hearts of His people,
Immersing them in the Holy Spirit; saturating them in the Holy Spirit.
Again and again, forever;
Continually satisfying their never ending thirst for His Living Water.
Christ Jesus is the Bread of Heaven for those who eat of Him, continually.
Christ Jesus is the rod that budded, the “Branch” who blooms His Church.
In the New Covenant worship in Spirit and Truth
Removes the veil to His Presence,
And allows God to release His Presence and Glory.
When we fail to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth
He cannot release His Presence and His Glory, otherwise we would die;
If we are not in a consecrated state before Him,
And His Presence is released, we would die.
God is God of the Old and new Covenants, He never changes.
His Presence is sacred and awesome;
No unsanctified, unconsecrated person can stand in His Presence.
At the Battle of Armageddon,
Christ Jesus defeats Satan with the Glory of His appearing; His Presence
And the word of His mouth.
In the New Covenant the Church,
The Bride of Christ, contains His Glory; Christ in us,
But this Glory is only manifested
When she is in a sanctified, consecrated state before Him.
Jesus declared that He had given the people of God His Glory in John 17;
That is for a remnant, and it has always been a remnant, throughout the ages.
It will be true for The Bride of Christ in The Time Of The END.
It will be true for those who love God
With all their heart, soul, mind and strength;
Who have a passion for the New Covenant
And the “new wine” it consists of.
Many will say the “old wine” is better
As Christ Jesus said of the Jewish religion of His day;
Many prefer a religion that has “form,”
And demands virtually nothing except rote tradition and rules made by men.
Such religion is a useless pretense,
And does not have the power to save anyone.
Such religion always resists the Holy Spirit;
And hates those who are filled with the Spirit and operate in the Spirit,
As Stephen, the first martyr of the Church testified,
Before he was stoned to death.
His Presence Makes A Way Where There Is No Way
The Presence of God parted the Red Sea
Allowing the Israelites to escape their enemies.
The Ark of His Presence parted the Jordan River
And allowed the Israelites to cross over into the Promised Land.
God's Presence cause the walls of Jericho to fall down.
His Presence will take The Bride of Christ into the desert.
His Presence makes a way where there is no way.
Worship in Spirit and in Truth brings His Presence.
Christ Jesus, Lifted Up, Draws All Men To Himself
When Christ Jesus is lifted up in true worship,
When He is enthroned on the praises of His people.
He draws all men to Himself;
This is the purpose of worship and the plan of salvation;
That men get saved and live saved,
In an environment of continual worship, on earth as in Heaven.
God intended that every Christian be a full participant
In this glorious enterprise.
An Old covenant example of this involved Moses a “type” of Christ:
The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.
Moses said to Joshua, 'Choose some of our men
And go out to fight the Amalekites.
Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill
With the staff of God in my hands.'
So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered,
And Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill.
As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning,
But whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.
When Moses' hands grew tired,
They took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it.
Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side , one on the other--
So that his hands remained steady till sunset.
So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.
Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner.
He said, 'For hands were lifted up to the throne of the Lord.
The Lord will be at war against the Amalekites
From generation to generation.' (Exodus 17:8-16)
(The Amalekites represent the godless in every generation.)
The power of God is released on our behalf
When we lift up our hands to the throne of the Lord in the New Covenant,
And we gain victory over our enemies. Lifting hands to the Lord is worship.
It is also instructive that Moses could not do it on his own, he needed help.
In the New Covenant as we lift each other up the power of God is released.
The more of us lifting up Christ Jesus and each other
The more power is released.
The Lord is our Banner and our hands uplifted to Him become His banner,
Before which His enemies and ours are defeated.
True Worship Is Irresistible To All Who Hear God's Call
God is continually speaking to, calling, every living person.
True worship is irresistible to those who hear the call of God.
When the Body of Christ worships God in His Spirit and in His Truth,
The manifest Presence of God comes.
His Presence clears the Church and the geographical area
Of the domineering, demonic spirits that otherwise rule;
Unsaved people are released from their control and bondage,
And become free to choose Christ Jesus as their Lord and Savior;
Free to be immersed, baptized in His Spirit and set free.
True worship, sets everyone free
Free to worship their God in Spirit and in Truth.
As true worship progresses,
Whole regions and nations can be brought to Christ Jesus.
This is what is called “Revival”
That has occurred many times since the resurrection of Christ Jesus.
The Day of Pentecost was a “Revival” that was to never end
And it never did end.
And all subsequent Revivals
Will have the characteristics of The Day of Pentecost,
Because Christ Jesus is “The Charismatic,” “The Inventor of Pentecost.”
Worship In Spirit And In Truth
Causes The River Of God To Flow
And The River Of God Brings The Water Of LIFE
Christ Jesus came to give us LIFE in His Spirit.
He is LIFE, the eternal, unchangeable LIFE; the Self-Existent LIFE.
The essence of God is found in His River of LIFE.
The River of God runs through the middle of the City of God, Zion,
The Bride of Christ, the Church of God, the Israel of God.
Bringing continual LIFE to it.
The River of LIFE contains the Water of LIFE
That Christ Jesus came to bring.
Christ Jesus said that those who were thirsty could come to Him
And He would give them streams of Living Water
That would flow from their innermost being.
This flow is initiated by the immersion or baptism in the Holy Spirit
Just as the 120 received on The Day of Pentecost, and all those thereafter.
We find LIFE in His Spirit when we allow Christ, the River of LIFE
To flow in and through us.
Worship in Spirit and in Truth is produced by Christ in us.
He is the Spirit and He is the Truth; He is the Water of LIFE.
We worship in Spirit and in Truth,
When we allow the Spirit to worship in and through us.
Then we experience the freedom and victory Christ Jesus came to bring;
Then He releases His Presence and Glory.
The joy we find in this reality is our strength.
To Those Who Have, Even More Will Be Given
Wherever we are in God He always has more for us, forever.
Our infinite God has an infinite amount to give.
We all must have something, to be given more.
Christ Jesus begins by giving us a measure of faith in Him.
We then make a confession of that faith.
As we press into that faith He gives us more faith;
He immerses us, baptizes us in His Holy Spirit.
This is just the beginning of what can be a never ending increase.
There is an infinite supply of the Water of LIFE in the River of LIFE.
To those who have, even more will be given, forever.
When we worship God in Spirit and in Truth,
We are drinking from the River of LIFE;
The more we drink the more LIFE we have,
The more LIFE we have the more He can give to us.
Having more is only determined by how much we want.
For Christ Jesus, His zeal for God consumed Him.
He had food to eat that no one knew of, that came directly from His Father.
For the apostle Paul,
God did exceedingly and abundantly above what he could think or ask.
No eye has seen, no ear has heard what God has prepared
For those who love Him
But He has revealed it to us by His Spirit,
And the Spirit searches all things even the deep things of God.
David asked for one thing: More of God
David knew that one day in the Presence of God
Was worth a thousand other days.
One meeting in the Presence of God is worth a thousand other meetings.
One word spoken by God is worth a thousand words spoken by man;
One “quickened” word from God is priceless.
Jesus said:
To Him who is thirsty
I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.
He who overcomes will inherit all this,
And I will be his God and he will be my son. (Revelation 21:6-7)
All this is the infinite provision of the Spirit of the Living God.
Every Work For God Must Spring From True Worship
When the people of God submit themselves to Christ Jesus
And worship their God in Spirit and in Truth
God manifests His Glory and accomplishes His plan and purposes.
Every work for God must spring from true worship,
And be infused with His Glory;
Then its yoke is easy and its burden light.
The people asked Christ Jesus what work God required of them.
He told them the work required of them was to believe in the One God sent.
If we believe, we have faith, if we have faith, we seek the face of God.
If we seek the face of God, He reveals Himself to us;
He reveals His Glory, His manifest Presence.
Then all things are possible;
Then His plan and purposes are accomplished.
True Worship Comes From An Altar Of Uncut Stones
True worship is accomplished in us, through Christ;
We do not create it, He creates it in us.
Often, we begin in the natural, but must allow Christ to take over.
If He does not take over, it is not true worship in Spirit and in Truth.
Elisha needed a word from God.
He called for the harpist to help him get out of the natural
Into the supernatural.
Once in the supernatural, he received the word from God he needed.
The key to worshiping in Spirit and in Truth is to allow God to take over.
To loose our self-consciousness and become God conscious;
To get “in the Spirit;” to abandon ourselves to God.
Skill can be helpful or a hindrance depending ones willingness to let go.
If we hold too tightly to the “form” we will miss the substance.
As has been said, We must let go and let God.
Manifestations of uncut stone, altar worship include:
Prophetic words, words of knowledge, words of wisdom
A new song, born out of the Spirit of Christ in us;
Singing in the Spirit; dancing in the Spirit; marching in the Spirit;
Running in the Spirit; Shouting in the Spirit;
Impromptu instrumentals, involving one or more instruments, etc.
These are all expressions of the freedom Christ died to bring to His people;
Expressions of worshiping in Spirit and in Truth.
Extravagant Worship Releases The Fragrance Of Christ
The sinful woman who came to anoint Christ Jesus
Is an example of true worship.
Profound gratitude compelled her to show Him extravagant worship
For the extravagant act of forgiveness and salvation He had extended to her.
She willingly expended a years wages
To anoint Him with a precious perfume;
She gave to Christ Jesus all that she had to give,
Just as Christ Jesus gives us all He has to give,
Which is everything worth having.
This woman sets a standard for the Body of Christ.
It is a high bar.
What is LIFE worth? LIFE comprising all that Christ gives to us.
Why do we worship? Because He loves us and gives us all He has to give,
Which is wonderful, beyond calculation; holding nothing back!
This woman's act of worship released a fragrance.
As we worship the fragrance of Christ is released,
And there are no limits to the extent of its influence.
We Do Not Struggle Against Flesh And Blood (Ephesians 6)
Our struggle is against the devil's schemes;
Against rulers, authorities and powers in this dark world
And against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms.
Only the Lord, Christ in us, is able to bring victory against these adversaries.
These were the real enemies that came against King Jehoshaphat and Israel,
And through the praise of His people, the Lord brought them victory.
The devil must stand down, stand back and depart,
When the people of God praise their God.
Put On The Full Armor Of God (Ephesians 6)
What is our part in the battle?
To be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power;
To put on all that the Lord has given us, the full armor of God:
The belt of Truth
The breastplate of righteousness
Readiness to proclaim the good news
The shield of faith
The helmet of salvation
The sword of the Spirit
Then we are to stand in this armor and pray in the Spirit;
Worship in Spirit and in Truth.
The Battle Belongs To The Lord
This principle is taught to us in 2 Chronicles 20.
King Jehoshaphat is told that a vast army was coming against him.
He was alarmed and determined to inquire of the Lord as to what to do.
He proclaimed a fast for the nation;
The whole nation came to Jerusalem and the temple
And stood before the Lord.
King Jehoshaphat prayed to the Lord.
He declared that the Lord is the God of heaven
Who rules over all the kingdoms of the earth;
Who promised that if His people would stand in His Presence
And cry out to Him,
He would hear and save His people.
King Jehoshaphat said, we do not know what do do,
But our eyes are fixed upon You.
Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon one of the Levities,
And he prophesied, do not be discouraged
Because the battle belongs to the Lord.
The Lord instructed the people to march down against the enemy,
Telling them that they would not have to fight.
Then some of the Levities stood and praised the Lord, the God of Israel
With a very loud voice.
The next morning King Jehoshaphat stood before the people and told them
To have faith in the Lord and His prophets and they would be successful.
After consulting with the people, he appointed men to sing to the Lord
And to praise Him for the splendor of his holiness;
They went out at the head of the army, singing:
“Give thanks to the Lord, for His love endures forever.”
As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the enemy,
And they were completely defeated.
The Lord rose up on the praises of His people and destroyed the enemy.
The Lord will rise up on our praises today and give us victory.
The Kingdom Of God Advances Forcefully
And Forceful Men Lay Hold Of It
From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven
Has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.
(Matthew 11:12)
Jehoash king of Israel came to see Elisha who was dying:
Elisha said, 'Get a bow and some arrows,' and he did so .
'Take the bow in your hands,' he said to the king of Israel.
When he had taken it, Elisha put his hands on the king's hands.
'Open the east window,' he said, and he opened it.
'Shoot!' Elisha said, and he shot.
'The Lord's arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram!'
Elisha declared. 'You will completely destroy the Arameans at Aphek.'
Then he said, 'Take the arrows,' and the king took them .
Elisha told him, 'Strike the ground,'
He struck it three times and stopped.
The man of God was angry with him and said,
'You should have struck the ground five or six times,
Then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it.
But now you will defeat it only three times.'
What Elisha told king Jehoash is a worship principle.
If we want victory in our worship we must persist into His Presence
And through His Presence to complete victory.
We must not stop before we have complete victory.
We must stop only when the Spirit releases us to stop.
God desires that we achieve victory over our enemy in our worship;
He has provide the means for us to do this by His Presence.
However, if we do not press in forcefully, until our enemy is destroyed,
We will have only a partial victory at best.
We cannot content ourselves with partial victories;
Our enemy does not.
He wants to see us completely destroyed and eternally dead.
This is similar to the concept of “praying through.”
We can “pray through” until God lets us know we have victory in our prayer.
Likewise in praise and worship we can persist
Until we know we have the victory;
Heaven is opened and the enemy defeated.
In fact our persistence can create a continuous open Heaven.
Jacob wrestled with God until he was blessed:
So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak.
When the man saw that he could not overpower him,
He touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched
As he wrestled with the man.
Then the man said, 'Let me go, for it is daybreak.'
But Jacob replied, 'I will not let you go unless you bless me.'
The man asked him, 'What is your name?'
'Jacob,' he answered.
Then the man said, 'Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel,
Because you have struggled with God and with men
And have overcome.'
Jacob said, 'Please tell me your name.'
But he replied, “Why do you ask my name.'
Then he blessed him there.
So Jacob call the place Peniel, saying,
'It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.
(Genesis32:24-32)
Jacob knew he needed the blessing of God,
And he was not going to let go of God until he was blessed.
This needs to be the attitude of our worship.
We must not let go of God until He manifests His Presence;
Until we see Him face to face; until we are blessed.
Praise Until The Spirit Of Worship Comes
Worship Until The Glory Falls
Then Experience Intimacy With Christ Jesus.
This was the admonishment and attitude of Ruth Ward Heflin,
And came from her life long pursuit of God and her experience in God.
We can begin to praise God in the natural;
This enables us to get “in the Spirit.”
Once we are “in the Spirit” we can worship Him until He releases His Glory,
His manifest Presence.
Then, we can enjoy intimacy with the love of our LIFE, Christ Jesus,
For as long as we desire.
This intimacy was the intoxication of The Day of Pentecost.
Once you have experienced this intimacy you will never be the same again;
You will know why David asked for “one thing” above all else.
One hour in this intimacy is worth a thousand hours
Experiencing what ever is second best.
You will never want to leave this intimacy; it is Heaven on earth.
For the rest of your life you will desire this intimacy with Christ Jesus
Above all else;
Nothing else will satisfy you; you are spoiled for life,
Which is exactly what God wants to do for you.
The only thing standing in your way is your willingness to enter in.
Christ Jesus is waiting for you!
The Song Of Songs Teaches Us The Intimacy Of Worship
The following are paraphrases out of the Song of Songs
Put into poetic form;
It is The Bride of Christ speaking to her Lover, Christ Jesus
And Christ Jesus speaking to His Bride.
The Bride of Christ Speaking To Christ Jesus:
I belong to you my King
My desire is for you alone
Place me like a seal over your heart
Like a brand upon your arm
For my love for you is as strong as death
It burns like a blazing fire
An ocean of water cannot quench my love
A river cannot wash it away
All the wealth of this world
Is as nothing compared to our love.
Every delicacy both new and old
I have stored up for you my love
For my love for you is as strong as death
It burns like a blazing fire
An ocean of water cannot quench my love
A river cannot wash it away
Come away with me my lover my friend
Let me be your complete contentment
Let me be your complete contentment
Christ Jesus Speaking To His Bride:
Who is this that appears like the dawn
Fair as the moon Bright as the sun
Majestic as the stars all beautiful you are
There is not flaw in you
You have stolen my heart my sister my bride
With one glance of your eyes
How delightful is your love my darling
Better than wine, fragrant as perfume
You are a garden fountain, a well of flowing water
There is no one like you
You have stolen my heart my sister my bride
With one glance of your eyes
True Worship Creates Unity In The Body Of Christ
Unity In Worship Commands The Blessing Of God
True worship and praise to God creates “Oneness” with God
As nothing else can,
And “Oneness" with God creates unity in the Body of Christ.
In Heaven, all are ONE,
And therefore they praise and worship the Living God.
On earth, when we worship in Spirit and in Truth, God makes us ONE,
By the power of His Spirit;
We are transformed by the words of our mouth, by Christ in us,
And He brings the unity in His Body He desires.
Unity in worship commands the blessing of God.
Behold how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!
It is like the precious ointment poured on the head,
That ran down on the beard,
Even the beard of Aaron [the first high priest],
That came down upon the collar and skirts of his garments
[Consecrating the whole body]; [Exodus 30:25,30]
Like the dew of [lofty] Mount Hermon,
And the dew that comes on the Hills of Zion;
For there the lord has commanded the blessing,
Even life forevermore [upon the high and lowly].
(Psalm 133, Amplified)
The Worship of Every Saint Matters And Makes a Difference
We are “living stones” built into The New Jerusalem, The City of God,
Who's architect and builder is God.
The worship of every saint adds to the whole, a living, necessary part,
And adds to the power of God released.
In worship every single saint makes a difference.
Every heart set on Christ makes a difference.
Every voice makes a difference.
Every pair of hands lifted up makes a difference.
Everyone dancing makes a difference.
Every act of worship makes a difference.
There are no insignificant acts of worship before the Living God.
The Remnant Who Turns Back The Battle At The Gate
In The Time of The END,
The Bride of Christ will turn back the battle at the gate.
In that day the Lord Almighty
Will be a glorious crown, a beautiful wreath
For the remnant of His people.
He will be a Spirit of justice to Him (Christ) who sits in judgment,
A source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
(Isaiah 28:5-6)
We have learned that the battle belongs to the Lord,
But we are His instruments of battle
As we enthrone Him in our praise and worship.
Lord make us instruments for Your Glory!
A Glimpse Of Heaven Inspired Praise
Praise the Lord
Praise God in his sanctuary;
Praise him for his acts of power;
Praise him for his surpassing greatness.
Praise him with the sounding trumpet,
Praise him with the harp and lyre,
Praise him with tambourine and dancing,
Praise him with the strings and flute,
Praise him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the lord
Praise the Lord. (Psalm 150)
The Psalms Are Our Teacher
Many of the Psalms were born out of the Tabernacle of David;
Out of Zion, The City of God, where the fire of God resides.
The Psalms are our teacher.
They teach us the nature and character of Heavenly praise and worship;
Praise and worship that brings the Kingdom of God to earth as in Heaven.
Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done, On Earth As In Heaven
This is the heart cry of the Church of the Living God;
This is the object of their unquenchable zeal;
This is what happens when the people of God worship their God
In Spirit and in Truth.
This is what happened on that “Holy Hill,” Zion, in The Tabernacle of David;
This is the foreshadow of The New Jerusalem.
Christ Jesus intends for us to live continuously in His Presence.
When we worship God in Spirit and in Truth
We can live continuously in His Presence and His manifest Glory.
Then there is continuous victory over our enemies;
Then the plan and purpose for our lives and His Church is made complete.
This is where Christ Jesus is leading us at this time.
He is going to bring about the answer to His own prayer (John 17)
And make us ONE with Himself.
Shake off the spirit of religion that is only empty form,
Abandon yourself to God and see what He will do through you;
Exceedingly and abundantly above what you can think of ask
By His power at work in you!
Christ in you the hope of glory!
Hallelujah!
The Devil Seeks Worship
The devil seeks those who will worship him in his spirit, deceived by his lie.
He seeks those who will worship him in his spirit,
And embrace his lie, which he puts forward as the truth, as an angel of light;
That each person can be like God, doing as they please,
Ignoring the God of Heaven.
It is also notable that he receives what he seeks;
In terms of numbers, exceedingly more than does the God of Heaven.
The people of this world give to the god of this world, whole heartedly
The worship and glory that he wants.
Virtually all that goes on in the current culture, ie.: television, movies, politics,
Social events, rock concerts, sporting events, etc., are testimonies to this fact.
The people of this world are abandon to their god,
And this abandonment leads to eternal death.
The glory of the god of this world,
Is the willingness of most of humanity to follow him to their eternal death.
The world controlled by the devil puts on a show, a pretense,
Like a movie prop;
When you look behind it it is empty, without substance, without life;
The devil is the puppeteer, pulling the stings of a world he has deceived;
A world lost and destined for hell.
True Worship Stops The Expansion of Hell
True worship mitigates, arrests
And stops the enlargement of the mouth of hell,
And the eternal carnage that the worship of the devil brings,
Worship of the True and Living God in His Spirit and in His Truth,
Brings Him the Glory that is due to Him,
And brings His Presence that destroys the works of the enemy.
This worship brings about the God consciousness
That causes men to turn to Him.
All other endeavors for God must begin here.
Abandonment to the God of Heaven leads to eternal LIFE.
God gains glory when individuals
And His Church abandon themselves to Him.
This is the destiny of The Bride of Christ;
Her love for Christ Jesus is as strong as death,
And burns like a blazing fire; Forever!
He brought Her from death to LIFE and She will never forget that!
The purpose of God in creation was to obtain a Bride for His Son;
A Bride who of Her own free will would choose to marry His Son;
A Bride who would be commensurate with His Son in character and being;
A Bride who would love His Son as He loved His Son;
A Bride who would become ONE with His Son
By the power of His Holy Spirit.
A Bride with whom His Son could enjoy intimate communion for eternity.
This purpose of God is the framework for all of Scriptural history.
In The New Covenant God Seeks Three Things
1.Those who will worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. (John 4:23)
2.Glory (John 8:50)
3.The lost (Luke 19:10)
It seems only logical that the Church of God would endeavor
To give to their God what He seeks when it is possible for them to do so.
When the people of God worship Him in Spirit and in Truth,
He releases His manifest, tangible Presence; His Glory;
This brings about a God consciousness in believers and unbelievers,
And all know assuredly that Christ Jesus was sent as their Lord and Savior.
Today, Christ Jesus is seeking those who will worship Him
In Spirit and in Truth,
Who love Him with all their heart, soul, mind and strength
So that the whole world will know that Christ Jesus
Was sent by God the Father.
True Worshipers
Jesus said to the woman at the well:
Believe me woman, a time is coming
When you will worship the Father neither on this mountain
Nor in Jerusalem.
You Samaritans worship what you do not know;
We worship what we do know;
For salvation is from the Jews.
Yet a time is coming and has now come
When the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth,
For they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.
God is Spirit, and his worshipers must worship in Spirit and in Truth.
(John 4:21-24)
When the people of God worship in Spirit and in Truth,
They are worshiping in and through Christ, who is the Spirit, who is the Truth;
Then God manifests Himself.
It is not a specific place; it can be any place where this occurs.
When the people of God worship Him in His Spirit and in His Truth;
Through Christ in them; having been born again of His Spirit;
Then He will reveal His manifest Presence and His Glory.
The people of God must worship in Spirit and in Truth,
Or it will be only empty noise emitted into the air.
Your Kingdom Come On Earth As In Heaven
The primary objective of God on earth is to raise up a Bride for His Son;
A Bride who will become ONE with Him by the power of His Spirit in Her.
Then His Kingdom will come to earth as in Heaven.
The Lord taught His disciples how to pray.
Part of the prayer was that the Kingdom of God would come to earth
As in Heaven.
From Scripture we can see that in Heaven there is continuous worship.
The Bride of Christ brings the Kingdom of God to earth as in Heaven
When we worship God as it is done in Heaven.
This is what occurred in The Tabernacle of David and is our example.
The Psalms, many of which were born out of the Tabernacle of David,
Are our teacher.
When the Kingdom of God comes to earth as in Heaven,
The devil is excluded, his work destroyed.
The devil has no access to the Kingdom of God;
When the Kingdom of God comes to earth as in Heaven
The Presence and Glory of God is manifested unhindered
By the evil, demonic principalities and powers in the heavenly realms.
Meetings Consecrated By His Glory
The primary purpose in Christians gathering together
Should be the same as it was in the days of Moses
And the original Tent of Meeting, the “prototype” for the Church today;
That is to meet with God, that He might speak to us.
When we meet for this primary purpose,
Then God will consecrate the meeting by His Glory;
Then He will dwell in our midst;
Then we will know that He is our God who brought us out of Egypt;
Then we are differentiated from all the other peoples of the earth;
Then the peoples of the earth will know where to come to meet with God;
In the midst of the people of God; in the midst of His Glory.
For generations to come this burnt offering (worship)
Is to be made regularly
At the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the Lord.
There I will meet you and speak to you;
There I will meet with the Israelites,
And the place will be consecrated by my glory.
So I will consecrate the Tent of Meeting and the altar
And will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests.
Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God.
They will know that I am the Lord their God,
Who brought them out of Egypt So that I might dwell among them.
I am the Lord their God. (Exodus 29:42-46)
It is the desire of God to meet and speak with us,
To consecrate our meetings with His glory;
Then His Kingdom comes to earth as in Heaven;
Then it is clear who belongs to God and who does not;
Then the people He calls by His Spirit know where to come to meet Him;
Then He adds people to His Bride according to His will.
The whole purpose of “Church” or assembling together
Is so that God can meet with us and speak to us and add to us.
Pentecost Began A Never Ending Revival
The Day of Pentecost ignited a never ending Revival;
The Father imparted His Holy Spirit to indwell His saints;
He baptized (immersed) His saints in the Holy Spirit and Fire.
They received power when this happened;
Power to live for Christ and power to do the works of Christ.
Christ Jesus said He came to bring a fire;
This fire was ignited on The Day of Pentecost
And has been burning in every generation since.
The only people who can worship in Spirit and in Truth
Are those who have received their personal Day of Pentecost.
Christ Jesus is “The Charismatic” and the “Inventor of Pentecost.”
On the Day of Pentecost He gave birth to a “Charismatic people;”
He, reproduced Himself in His people, Christ in them their hope of Glory,
As the Book of acts clearly demonstrates.
Revivals Are Times And Meetings Consecrated By God's Glory
God consecrated the meetings of John Westley and George Whitfield
With His Glory as they broke from the Church of England
To preach the Gospel to the common people
In the open fields of the countryside.
God consecrated the meetings of the First Great Awakening in America.
For approximately ten years God reawakened America
To the reality of His Christ;
Falling upon whole communities and regions,
Using Johnathan Edwards as one of the instruments of His Glory.
God consecrated the meetings of the Second Great Awakening
For many years,
As He reawakened America to the reality of His Christ;
Using Charles Finney as one of the instruments of His Glory.
God consecrated the meetings of Maria Etter with His Glory,
Falling on whole communities and regions,
Healing the worst diseases and afflictions.
God brought the America and the world to the Azusa Street Mission
And William Seymour in a great move of the Spirit of God,
Revealing His Glory.
God poured out His Spirit on mainline churches,
In the Charismatic Renewal, revealing His Glory.
God brought the world to Toronto Canada to experience His manifest Glory;
Consecrating the meetings with His Glory.
These are but a few examples of the meetings and Revivals
God has visited upon His Church, consecrated by His Glory.
The out working of each of these “Revivals” continues to this day.
When We Meet With God Our Face Will Shine
When Moses met with God his face shone with the Glory of God.
God wants the face of His Church to shine with the Glory of God.
When Steven testified for God his face shone with the Glory of God;
He looked like and angel;
When you stand in the Presence of God your face will shine with His Glory.
When You Meet With God You Will Be Forever Changed
Abraham heard from God and was willing to leave his homeland
And go to a place he never knew.
God changed Abraham's name and his destiny with a covenant.
Jacob wrestled with God and had his name and his nature changed;
God gave him a permanent physical mark of that meeting.
Moses met God and was commissioned with a task and destiny;
To deliver Israel from Egypt.
He was changed from shepherd to deliverer.
David met God and had only one desire in life; to be in His Presence;
He was changed from shepherd to king.
On the Day of Pentecost, the Church met God
And were intoxicated with His Glory,
Spoke in languages they did not know,
And went on to change the world through Christ in them.
When God met you, you were changed from being dead,
To being alive in Christ.
You can now do exceedingly and abundantly
Above what you can thing or ask
Because of the power of Christ in you.
Access To The Presence Of God:
The Mercy Seat Which Was Over The Ark Of His Presence
In The Most Holy Place
The Mercy Seat provides our only approach to God.
Because it has been sprinkled with the blood of Christ,
The same blood we have applied to our lives having received Christ by faith.
The Mercy Seat, sprinkled with the blood of Christ Jesus
Allows God to meet with us and speak to us.
Access To The Most Holy Place
The sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving allows us to enter the courts of God,
And place our offering on the Brazen Altar,
But the Mercy Seat, where God speaks to us, is in the Most Holy Place.
To get to the Most Holy Place we must enter the Holy Place.
To enter the Holy Place we must be a priest, consecrated to God,
Washed, anointed, clothed with Christ
And sprinkled and applied with His blood.
To enter the Most Holy Place we must then offer sacred incense,
Acceptable to God;
True worship from our hearts that touches His heart;
Worship in Spirit and in Truth.
We Know That Our Worship Has Touched The Heart Of God
When He Speaks To Us And Reveals His Presence And Glory
That is God's way of acknowledging that our worship has reached Him,
And is acceptable to Him.
God lives in the praises of His people;
We become ONE with Him as we praise and then worship Him;
We are transformed by the words of our mouth, coming from our hearts;
We may begin in the natural but we then allow Christ in us to take over,
Which allows us to enter the supernatural, the realm of the Spirit of God;
The Gory realm of God.
In the Book of Revelation the apostle John said
That he was “in the Spirit” on the Lord's day.
In this condition, Christ Jesus was able to speak to him
And give him a great revelation; the Book of Revelation.
Praise and Worship enables us to get “in the Spirit;”
When we are “in the Spirit” God can speak to us as He desires.
To hear from God we must get “in the Spirit.”
All those “in the Spirit” are ONE with God and each other.
When we are in the Glory realm of God
He manifests His Presence and Glory;
He speaks to us, He communes with us, He loves on us
And we love on Him.
In the atmosphere of His Presence and Glory sinners come to Christ Jesus;
Then the sick are healed and the dead are raised.
All things are possible and come to pass in the Glory realm of God.
In the atmosphere of the Presence and Glory of God the devil is driven out.
We must not satisfy ourselves with glimpses of His Presence and Glory.
God wants to immerse us in His Glory continually;
He wants us to live in “The Secret Place of the Most High God;”
He wants His Kingdom to come to earth as in Heaven and reside there,
Continually.
His objective is that we become ONE with Him and live in His Presence.
We need to press into worship
Until we are immersed in His Presence and Glory.
True worship lifts Christ up and allows God to manifest His Presence;
Then He draws all men to Himself;
This is New Covenant evangelism and the Glory He is seeking;
God is glorified when His people worship Him in Spirit and in Truth;
God is glorified when people accept His Christ as their Lord and Savior
Every Christian can participate in this most glorious enterprise;
No one is excluded; nothing is more important.
The Bride Of Christ Will Join With David
In Asking But One Thing
One thing I ask, this is what I seek
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord
All the days of my life
To gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
And seek Him in His temple. (Psalm 27:4)
As God Seeks those who will worship Him in Spirit and in Truth,
The Bride of Christ seeks to worship Him who is the Spirit and the Truth;
And they become ONE; the Glory of Christ Jesus is manifested;
Sinners come to Christ Jesus as the incense of Praise and Worship
Covers the Mercy Seat and access to the Presence is opened.
True Worship To The Living God Comes From The Heart
The Tabernacle of David, Zion, Exemplified This Worship
Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.
(Psalm 127:1)
The Lord is the architect and builder of Zion; David was an instrument.
The house of God is built with living stones,
Those filled with Christ, who is LIFE.
The fire of God is in Zion, his furnace in Jerusalem (His Church).
(Isaiah 31:9)
God infuses The Bride of Christ with His fire.
Her love for Him is as strong as death and burns like a blazing fire.
The House of God is built with Living Stones on Fire.
True worship is born out of the fire of God.
And comes from a consecrated heart.
It is based on an understanding of who is being worshiped.
You have to “know” God to be able to worship Him as God.
You have to “know” God to worship in His Spirit and in His Truth.
King David was a man after God's own heart.
David sought one thing above all else: the heart of God.
King David sought the heart of God and found Him as the Psalms attest.
David knew where he came from; watching over the sheep.
He knew that God had brought him from death to LIFE,
From shepherd to king;
That his LIFE was found in the Presence of God by the Holy Spirit within him.
God showed David, Gad and Nathan what true worship was to consist of,
And David built his Tabernacle and operated in it accordingly.
It was not elaborate, only a simple tent.
The Tabernacle of David exemplified the praise and worship that God seeks.
Because there He was worshiped in Spirit and in Truth.
That is why it is called Zion, the City of God, where the fire of God resides,
Foreshadowing the New Jerusalem that was to come;
The final and eternal City of the Living God, The Bride of Christ.
God revealed Himself to David and all Israel through His manifest Presence;
God supernaturally “kept” and prospered Israel for 36 years
During David's reign.
The Tabernacle of David, was the vehicle that brought this about.
It is the prototype of God's desire for His Church today.
God was enthroned on the praises
That emanated from the Tabernacle of David.
He desires to be enthroned on the praise of His Church today.
That is what it means to “lift Jesus up.”
He is lifted up when we enthrone Him on our praise and worship.
He then draws all men to Himself; New Covenant evangelism.
God will “keep” and prosper His Church today
When we enthrone Him in our praise and worship from our hearts;
Then, He will live in the praises of His people and manifest his Presence;
Pushing back the evil, demonic authorities and powers
In the heavenly realms
Giving the people of God victory wherever they are;
Creating the “open Heaven” so often spoken of, the Glory realm of God.
The Tabernacle of David was and is called Zion,
God's “Holy Hill,” the City of God,
The Israel of God, the Church of God, the Bride of Christ, the Heart of God;
Zion comprises a people, abandoned to God, who have laid down their lives,
And become ONE with Christ Jesus and the Father,
In accordance with the prayer of Christ Jesus in John 17;
A people in complete unity; ONE with God,
By the power of the Spirit of God.
In the last days, in our day, God promises to rebuild David's fallen tent:
After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent.
Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it,
That the remnant of men may seek the Lord,
And all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord,
Who does these things
That have been known for ages. (Acts 15:16-18)
The Tabernacle of David will be rebuilt
That the remnant of men may seek the Lord in the last days.
Worship In Spirit And In Truth Eliminates The Veil
The Ark of the Covenant in The Tabernacle of David was not behind a veil.
There was no need for this because there was continuous worship
The worshipers were ONE with their God
And there was no need for separation.
Their worship was a sweet smelling incense offered up to God
That covered the Mercy Seat.
Worshiping in Spirit and in Truth protected them
From the awesome holiness of God;
The same holiness that killed Uzzah when he irreverently touched the ark.
King David understood this and set up The Tabernacle of David to this end.
The Tabernacle worshipers offered God continual worship, 24 hours a day.
The Tabernacle of David is the type worship
That God intended that we possess in the New Covenant;
That we continually worship God in Spirit and in Truth.
That we live continually in His Presence, continually in His Glory.
On The Day Of Pentecost, And Thereafter,
God Poured Out His Spirit On All Flesh
To enable us to get “in the Spirit” and out of the flesh,
So that He might meet with us individually and corporately and speak to us.
The apostle Peter declare about this day:
In the last days (the final two thousand years of “Time”)
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy
(That is hear from God and speak that received to His people),
Your young men will see visions, your old men dream dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
(Acts 2:17-18)
The Day of Pentecost was the beginning of a Revival that was to never end,
And it continues to this day in the hearts of those called by God.
Give Me No Rest And Give Yourselves No Rest
Until Zion Is Made The Praise Of The Earth
God says to every Christian: “Give yourselves no rest,
And give Me no rest, until Zion is made the praise of the earth.” (Isaiah 62)
Zion will be made the praise of the earth by the power of the Spirit of God
In those who worship God in Spirit and in Truth, in the here and now,
And bring the Kingdom of God to earth as in heaven.
The Old Covenant And It's Ark
The Ark of the Covenant
Was first made to reside in The Tabernacle of Moses.
It contained the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone,
The container of manna and Aaron's rod that budded.
The Ark stood behind the veil in the Holy of Holies.
Daily, the high priest burned incense before the veil
Which was before the Ark.
This incense was symbolic of the worship in The Tabernacle of David.
The worship in The Tabernacle of David
Allowed God to have the Ark of His Presence, unveiled;
It allowed God to continually release His Glory and Presence.
In the Tabernacle of Moses, once a year,
The high priest went behind the veil,
Without his priestly garments, barefoot,
To sprinkle the Mercy Seat with blood, to atone for the sins of the nation.
He went before the Mercy Seat, vulnerable, risking his life.
Just as with the high priest, in worship,
We come before the Mercy Seat of Christ.
When we worship in Spirit and in Truth our worship is acceptable to God.
We are testifying that we filled with Christ, and living in the New Covenant
Purchased by the blood of Christ Jesus
That He, Himself, sprinkled on the Mercy Seat in Heaven for us.
Our very lives have been purchased by the blood of Christ Jesus.
Christ Jesus found us dead and has given us LIFE.
Our worship is our response to that reality.
The New Covenant Ark
In the New Covenant God, takes His law out of the box, the Ark,
And puts it in the minds and writes it on the hearts of His people,
Immersing them in the Holy Spirit; saturating them in the Holy Spirit.
Again and again, forever;
Continually satisfying their never ending thirst for His Living Water.
Christ Jesus is the Bread of Heaven for those who eat of Him, continually.
Christ Jesus is the rod that budded, the “Branch” who blooms His Church.
In the New Covenant worship in Spirit and Truth
Removes the veil to His Presence,
And allows God to release His Presence and Glory.
When we fail to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth
He cannot release His Presence and His Glory, otherwise we would die;
If we are not in a consecrated state before Him,
And His Presence is released, we would die.
God is God of the Old and new Covenants, He never changes.
His Presence is sacred and awesome;
No unsanctified, unconsecrated person can stand in His Presence.
At the Battle of Armageddon,
Christ Jesus defeats Satan with the Glory of His appearing; His Presence
And the word of His mouth.
In the New Covenant the Church,
The Bride of Christ, contains His Glory; Christ in us,
But this Glory is only manifested
When she is in a sanctified, consecrated state before Him.
Jesus declared that He had given the people of God His Glory in John 17;
That is for a remnant, and it has always been a remnant, throughout the ages.
It will be true for The Bride of Christ in The Time Of The END.
It will be true for those who love God
With all their heart, soul, mind and strength;
Who have a passion for the New Covenant
And the “new wine” it consists of.
Many will say the “old wine” is better
As Christ Jesus said of the Jewish religion of His day;
Many prefer a religion that has “form,”
And demands virtually nothing except rote tradition and rules made by men.
Such religion is a useless pretense,
And does not have the power to save anyone.
Such religion always resists the Holy Spirit;
And hates those who are filled with the Spirit and operate in the Spirit,
As Stephen, the first martyr of the Church testified,
Before he was stoned to death.
His Presence Makes A Way Where There Is No Way
The Presence of God parted the Red Sea
Allowing the Israelites to escape their enemies.
The Ark of His Presence parted the Jordan River
And allowed the Israelites to cross over into the Promised Land.
God's Presence cause the walls of Jericho to fall down.
His Presence will take The Bride of Christ into the desert.
His Presence makes a way where there is no way.
Worship in Spirit and in Truth brings His Presence.
Christ Jesus, Lifted Up, Draws All Men To Himself
When Christ Jesus is lifted up in true worship,
When He is enthroned on the praises of His people.
He draws all men to Himself;
This is the purpose of worship and the plan of salvation;
That men get saved and live saved,
In an environment of continual worship, on earth as in Heaven.
God intended that every Christian be a full participant
In this glorious enterprise.
An Old covenant example of this involved Moses a “type” of Christ:
The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.
Moses said to Joshua, 'Choose some of our men
And go out to fight the Amalekites.
Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill
With the staff of God in my hands.'
So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered,
And Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill.
As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning,
But whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.
When Moses' hands grew tired,
They took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it.
Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side , one on the other--
So that his hands remained steady till sunset.
So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.
Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner.
He said, 'For hands were lifted up to the throne of the Lord.
The Lord will be at war against the Amalekites
From generation to generation.' (Exodus 17:8-16)
(The Amalekites represent the godless in every generation.)
The power of God is released on our behalf
When we lift up our hands to the throne of the Lord in the New Covenant,
And we gain victory over our enemies. Lifting hands to the Lord is worship.
It is also instructive that Moses could not do it on his own, he needed help.
In the New Covenant as we lift each other up the power of God is released.
The more of us lifting up Christ Jesus and each other
The more power is released.
The Lord is our Banner and our hands uplifted to Him become His banner,
Before which His enemies and ours are defeated.
True Worship Is Irresistible To All Who Hear God's Call
God is continually speaking to, calling, every living person.
True worship is irresistible to those who hear the call of God.
When the Body of Christ worships God in His Spirit and in His Truth,
The manifest Presence of God comes.
His Presence clears the Church and the geographical area
Of the domineering, demonic spirits that otherwise rule;
Unsaved people are released from their control and bondage,
And become free to choose Christ Jesus as their Lord and Savior;
Free to be immersed, baptized in His Spirit and set free.
True worship, sets everyone free
Free to worship their God in Spirit and in Truth.
As true worship progresses,
Whole regions and nations can be brought to Christ Jesus.
This is what is called “Revival”
That has occurred many times since the resurrection of Christ Jesus.
The Day of Pentecost was a “Revival” that was to never end
And it never did end.
And all subsequent Revivals
Will have the characteristics of The Day of Pentecost,
Because Christ Jesus is “The Charismatic,” “The Inventor of Pentecost.”
Worship In Spirit And In Truth
Causes The River Of God To Flow
And The River Of God Brings The Water Of LIFE
Christ Jesus came to give us LIFE in His Spirit.
He is LIFE, the eternal, unchangeable LIFE; the Self-Existent LIFE.
The essence of God is found in His River of LIFE.
The River of God runs through the middle of the City of God, Zion,
The Bride of Christ, the Church of God, the Israel of God.
Bringing continual LIFE to it.
The River of LIFE contains the Water of LIFE
That Christ Jesus came to bring.
Christ Jesus said that those who were thirsty could come to Him
And He would give them streams of Living Water
That would flow from their innermost being.
This flow is initiated by the immersion or baptism in the Holy Spirit
Just as the 120 received on The Day of Pentecost, and all those thereafter.
We find LIFE in His Spirit when we allow Christ, the River of LIFE
To flow in and through us.
Worship in Spirit and in Truth is produced by Christ in us.
He is the Spirit and He is the Truth; He is the Water of LIFE.
We worship in Spirit and in Truth,
When we allow the Spirit to worship in and through us.
Then we experience the freedom and victory Christ Jesus came to bring;
Then He releases His Presence and Glory.
The joy we find in this reality is our strength.
To Those Who Have, Even More Will Be Given
Wherever we are in God He always has more for us, forever.
Our infinite God has an infinite amount to give.
We all must have something, to be given more.
Christ Jesus begins by giving us a measure of faith in Him.
We then make a confession of that faith.
As we press into that faith He gives us more faith;
He immerses us, baptizes us in His Holy Spirit.
This is just the beginning of what can be a never ending increase.
There is an infinite supply of the Water of LIFE in the River of LIFE.
To those who have, even more will be given, forever.
When we worship God in Spirit and in Truth,
We are drinking from the River of LIFE;
The more we drink the more LIFE we have,
The more LIFE we have the more He can give to us.
Having more is only determined by how much we want.
For Christ Jesus, His zeal for God consumed Him.
He had food to eat that no one knew of, that came directly from His Father.
For the apostle Paul,
God did exceedingly and abundantly above what he could think or ask.
No eye has seen, no ear has heard what God has prepared
For those who love Him
But He has revealed it to us by His Spirit,
And the Spirit searches all things even the deep things of God.
David asked for one thing: More of God
David knew that one day in the Presence of God
Was worth a thousand other days.
One meeting in the Presence of God is worth a thousand other meetings.
One word spoken by God is worth a thousand words spoken by man;
One “quickened” word from God is priceless.
Jesus said:
To Him who is thirsty
I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.
He who overcomes will inherit all this,
And I will be his God and he will be my son. (Revelation 21:6-7)
All this is the infinite provision of the Spirit of the Living God.
Every Work For God Must Spring From True Worship
When the people of God submit themselves to Christ Jesus
And worship their God in Spirit and in Truth
God manifests His Glory and accomplishes His plan and purposes.
Every work for God must spring from true worship,
And be infused with His Glory;
Then its yoke is easy and its burden light.
The people asked Christ Jesus what work God required of them.
He told them the work required of them was to believe in the One God sent.
If we believe, we have faith, if we have faith, we seek the face of God.
If we seek the face of God, He reveals Himself to us;
He reveals His Glory, His manifest Presence.
Then all things are possible;
Then His plan and purposes are accomplished.
True Worship Comes From An Altar Of Uncut Stones
True worship is accomplished in us, through Christ;
We do not create it, He creates it in us.
Often, we begin in the natural, but must allow Christ to take over.
If He does not take over, it is not true worship in Spirit and in Truth.
Elisha needed a word from God.
He called for the harpist to help him get out of the natural
Into the supernatural.
Once in the supernatural, he received the word from God he needed.
The key to worshiping in Spirit and in Truth is to allow God to take over.
To loose our self-consciousness and become God conscious;
To get “in the Spirit;” to abandon ourselves to God.
Skill can be helpful or a hindrance depending ones willingness to let go.
If we hold too tightly to the “form” we will miss the substance.
As has been said, We must let go and let God.
Manifestations of uncut stone, altar worship include:
Prophetic words, words of knowledge, words of wisdom
A new song, born out of the Spirit of Christ in us;
Singing in the Spirit; dancing in the Spirit; marching in the Spirit;
Running in the Spirit; Shouting in the Spirit;
Impromptu instrumentals, involving one or more instruments, etc.
These are all expressions of the freedom Christ died to bring to His people;
Expressions of worshiping in Spirit and in Truth.
Extravagant Worship Releases The Fragrance Of Christ
The sinful woman who came to anoint Christ Jesus
Is an example of true worship.
Profound gratitude compelled her to show Him extravagant worship
For the extravagant act of forgiveness and salvation He had extended to her.
She willingly expended a years wages
To anoint Him with a precious perfume;
She gave to Christ Jesus all that she had to give,
Just as Christ Jesus gives us all He has to give,
Which is everything worth having.
This woman sets a standard for the Body of Christ.
It is a high bar.
What is LIFE worth? LIFE comprising all that Christ gives to us.
Why do we worship? Because He loves us and gives us all He has to give,
Which is wonderful, beyond calculation; holding nothing back!
This woman's act of worship released a fragrance.
As we worship the fragrance of Christ is released,
And there are no limits to the extent of its influence.
We Do Not Struggle Against Flesh And Blood (Ephesians 6)
Our struggle is against the devil's schemes;
Against rulers, authorities and powers in this dark world
And against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms.
Only the Lord, Christ in us, is able to bring victory against these adversaries.
These were the real enemies that came against King Jehoshaphat and Israel,
And through the praise of His people, the Lord brought them victory.
The devil must stand down, stand back and depart,
When the people of God praise their God.
Put On The Full Armor Of God (Ephesians 6)
What is our part in the battle?
To be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power;
To put on all that the Lord has given us, the full armor of God:
The belt of Truth
The breastplate of righteousness
Readiness to proclaim the good news
The shield of faith
The helmet of salvation
The sword of the Spirit
Then we are to stand in this armor and pray in the Spirit;
Worship in Spirit and in Truth.
The Battle Belongs To The Lord
This principle is taught to us in 2 Chronicles 20.
King Jehoshaphat is told that a vast army was coming against him.
He was alarmed and determined to inquire of the Lord as to what to do.
He proclaimed a fast for the nation;
The whole nation came to Jerusalem and the temple
And stood before the Lord.
King Jehoshaphat prayed to the Lord.
He declared that the Lord is the God of heaven
Who rules over all the kingdoms of the earth;
Who promised that if His people would stand in His Presence
And cry out to Him,
He would hear and save His people.
King Jehoshaphat said, we do not know what do do,
But our eyes are fixed upon You.
Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon one of the Levities,
And he prophesied, do not be discouraged
Because the battle belongs to the Lord.
The Lord instructed the people to march down against the enemy,
Telling them that they would not have to fight.
Then some of the Levities stood and praised the Lord, the God of Israel
With a very loud voice.
The next morning King Jehoshaphat stood before the people and told them
To have faith in the Lord and His prophets and they would be successful.
After consulting with the people, he appointed men to sing to the Lord
And to praise Him for the splendor of his holiness;
They went out at the head of the army, singing:
“Give thanks to the Lord, for His love endures forever.”
As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the enemy,
And they were completely defeated.
The Lord rose up on the praises of His people and destroyed the enemy.
The Lord will rise up on our praises today and give us victory.
The Kingdom Of God Advances Forcefully
And Forceful Men Lay Hold Of It
From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven
Has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.
(Matthew 11:12)
Jehoash king of Israel came to see Elisha who was dying:
Elisha said, 'Get a bow and some arrows,' and he did so .
'Take the bow in your hands,' he said to the king of Israel.
When he had taken it, Elisha put his hands on the king's hands.
'Open the east window,' he said, and he opened it.
'Shoot!' Elisha said, and he shot.
'The Lord's arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram!'
Elisha declared. 'You will completely destroy the Arameans at Aphek.'
Then he said, 'Take the arrows,' and the king took them .
Elisha told him, 'Strike the ground,'
He struck it three times and stopped.
The man of God was angry with him and said,
'You should have struck the ground five or six times,
Then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it.
But now you will defeat it only three times.'
What Elisha told king Jehoash is a worship principle.
If we want victory in our worship we must persist into His Presence
And through His Presence to complete victory.
We must not stop before we have complete victory.
We must stop only when the Spirit releases us to stop.
God desires that we achieve victory over our enemy in our worship;
He has provide the means for us to do this by His Presence.
However, if we do not press in forcefully, until our enemy is destroyed,
We will have only a partial victory at best.
We cannot content ourselves with partial victories;
Our enemy does not.
He wants to see us completely destroyed and eternally dead.
This is similar to the concept of “praying through.”
We can “pray through” until God lets us know we have victory in our prayer.
Likewise in praise and worship we can persist
Until we know we have the victory;
Heaven is opened and the enemy defeated.
In fact our persistence can create a continuous open Heaven.
Jacob wrestled with God until he was blessed:
So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak.
When the man saw that he could not overpower him,
He touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched
As he wrestled with the man.
Then the man said, 'Let me go, for it is daybreak.'
But Jacob replied, 'I will not let you go unless you bless me.'
The man asked him, 'What is your name?'
'Jacob,' he answered.
Then the man said, 'Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel,
Because you have struggled with God and with men
And have overcome.'
Jacob said, 'Please tell me your name.'
But he replied, “Why do you ask my name.'
Then he blessed him there.
So Jacob call the place Peniel, saying,
'It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.
(Genesis32:24-32)
Jacob knew he needed the blessing of God,
And he was not going to let go of God until he was blessed.
This needs to be the attitude of our worship.
We must not let go of God until He manifests His Presence;
Until we see Him face to face; until we are blessed.
Praise Until The Spirit Of Worship Comes
Worship Until The Glory Falls
Then Experience Intimacy With Christ Jesus.
This was the admonishment and attitude of Ruth Ward Heflin,
And came from her life long pursuit of God and her experience in God.
We can begin to praise God in the natural;
This enables us to get “in the Spirit.”
Once we are “in the Spirit” we can worship Him until He releases His Glory,
His manifest Presence.
Then, we can enjoy intimacy with the love of our LIFE, Christ Jesus,
For as long as we desire.
This intimacy was the intoxication of The Day of Pentecost.
Once you have experienced this intimacy you will never be the same again;
You will know why David asked for “one thing” above all else.
One hour in this intimacy is worth a thousand hours
Experiencing what ever is second best.
You will never want to leave this intimacy; it is Heaven on earth.
For the rest of your life you will desire this intimacy with Christ Jesus
Above all else;
Nothing else will satisfy you; you are spoiled for life,
Which is exactly what God wants to do for you.
The only thing standing in your way is your willingness to enter in.
Christ Jesus is waiting for you!
The Song Of Songs Teaches Us The Intimacy Of Worship
The following are paraphrases out of the Song of Songs
Put into poetic form;
It is The Bride of Christ speaking to her Lover, Christ Jesus
And Christ Jesus speaking to His Bride.
The Bride of Christ Speaking To Christ Jesus:
I belong to you my King
My desire is for you alone
Place me like a seal over your heart
Like a brand upon your arm
For my love for you is as strong as death
It burns like a blazing fire
An ocean of water cannot quench my love
A river cannot wash it away
All the wealth of this world
Is as nothing compared to our love.
Every delicacy both new and old
I have stored up for you my love
For my love for you is as strong as death
It burns like a blazing fire
An ocean of water cannot quench my love
A river cannot wash it away
Come away with me my lover my friend
Let me be your complete contentment
Let me be your complete contentment
Christ Jesus Speaking To His Bride:
Who is this that appears like the dawn
Fair as the moon Bright as the sun
Majestic as the stars all beautiful you are
There is not flaw in you
You have stolen my heart my sister my bride
With one glance of your eyes
How delightful is your love my darling
Better than wine, fragrant as perfume
You are a garden fountain, a well of flowing water
There is no one like you
You have stolen my heart my sister my bride
With one glance of your eyes
True Worship Creates Unity In The Body Of Christ
Unity In Worship Commands The Blessing Of God
True worship and praise to God creates “Oneness” with God
As nothing else can,
And “Oneness" with God creates unity in the Body of Christ.
In Heaven, all are ONE,
And therefore they praise and worship the Living God.
On earth, when we worship in Spirit and in Truth, God makes us ONE,
By the power of His Spirit;
We are transformed by the words of our mouth, by Christ in us,
And He brings the unity in His Body He desires.
Unity in worship commands the blessing of God.
Behold how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!
It is like the precious ointment poured on the head,
That ran down on the beard,
Even the beard of Aaron [the first high priest],
That came down upon the collar and skirts of his garments
[Consecrating the whole body]; [Exodus 30:25,30]
Like the dew of [lofty] Mount Hermon,
And the dew that comes on the Hills of Zion;
For there the lord has commanded the blessing,
Even life forevermore [upon the high and lowly].
(Psalm 133, Amplified)
The Worship of Every Saint Matters And Makes a Difference
We are “living stones” built into The New Jerusalem, The City of God,
Who's architect and builder is God.
The worship of every saint adds to the whole, a living, necessary part,
And adds to the power of God released.
In worship every single saint makes a difference.
Every heart set on Christ makes a difference.
Every voice makes a difference.
Every pair of hands lifted up makes a difference.
Everyone dancing makes a difference.
Every act of worship makes a difference.
There are no insignificant acts of worship before the Living God.
The Remnant Who Turns Back The Battle At The Gate
In The Time of The END,
The Bride of Christ will turn back the battle at the gate.
In that day the Lord Almighty
Will be a glorious crown, a beautiful wreath
For the remnant of His people.
He will be a Spirit of justice to Him (Christ) who sits in judgment,
A source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
(Isaiah 28:5-6)
We have learned that the battle belongs to the Lord,
But we are His instruments of battle
As we enthrone Him in our praise and worship.
Lord make us instruments for Your Glory!
A Glimpse Of Heaven Inspired Praise
Praise the Lord
Praise God in his sanctuary;
Praise him for his acts of power;
Praise him for his surpassing greatness.
Praise him with the sounding trumpet,
Praise him with the harp and lyre,
Praise him with tambourine and dancing,
Praise him with the strings and flute,
Praise him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the lord
Praise the Lord. (Psalm 150)
The Psalms Are Our Teacher
Many of the Psalms were born out of the Tabernacle of David;
Out of Zion, The City of God, where the fire of God resides.
The Psalms are our teacher.
They teach us the nature and character of Heavenly praise and worship;
Praise and worship that brings the Kingdom of God to earth as in Heaven.
Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done, On Earth As In Heaven
This is the heart cry of the Church of the Living God;
This is the object of their unquenchable zeal;
This is what happens when the people of God worship their God
In Spirit and in Truth.
This is what happened on that “Holy Hill,” Zion, in The Tabernacle of David;
This is the foreshadow of The New Jerusalem.
Christ Jesus intends for us to live continuously in His Presence.
When we worship God in Spirit and in Truth
We can live continuously in His Presence and His manifest Glory.
Then there is continuous victory over our enemies;
Then the plan and purpose for our lives and His Church is made complete.
This is where Christ Jesus is leading us at this time.
He is going to bring about the answer to His own prayer (John 17)
And make us ONE with Himself.
Shake off the spirit of religion that is only empty form,
Abandon yourself to God and see what He will do through you;
Exceedingly and abundantly above what you can think of ask
By His power at work in you!
Christ in you the hope of glory!
Hallelujah!
The Devil Seeks Worship
The devil seeks those who will worship him in his spirit, deceived by his lie.
He seeks those who will worship him in his spirit,
And embrace his lie, which he puts forward as the truth, as an angel of light;
That each person can be like God, doing as they please,
Ignoring the God of Heaven.
It is also notable that he receives what he seeks;
In terms of numbers, exceedingly more than does the God of Heaven.
The people of this world give to the god of this world, whole heartedly
The worship and glory that he wants.
Virtually all that goes on in the current culture, ie.: television, movies, politics,
Social events, rock concerts, sporting events, etc., are testimonies to this fact.
The people of this world are abandon to their god,
And this abandonment leads to eternal death.
The glory of the god of this world,
Is the willingness of most of humanity to follow him to their eternal death.
The world controlled by the devil puts on a show, a pretense,
Like a movie prop;
When you look behind it it is empty, without substance, without life;
The devil is the puppeteer, pulling the stings of a world he has deceived;
A world lost and destined for hell.
True Worship Stops The Expansion of Hell
True worship mitigates, arrests
And stops the enlargement of the mouth of hell,
And the eternal carnage that the worship of the devil brings,
Worship of the True and Living God in His Spirit and in His Truth,
Brings Him the Glory that is due to Him,
And brings His Presence that destroys the works of the enemy.
This worship brings about the God consciousness
That causes men to turn to Him.
All other endeavors for God must begin here.
Abandonment to the God of Heaven leads to eternal LIFE.
God gains glory when individuals
And His Church abandon themselves to Him.
This is the destiny of The Bride of Christ;
Her love for Christ Jesus is as strong as death,
And burns like a blazing fire; Forever!
He brought Her from death to LIFE and She will never forget that!