Today I was so blessed because a large group of Asian teenage students came along when H was preaching. They stopped and were listening. I went over to them with tracts and little books containing the gospel of John. They were so hungry for the gospel. They clamoured for tracts. When one saw I had little books as well, she cried out “I want a little book!” Well that set off the rest of the group who all also didn’t want to miss out and clamoured for the “little books”. They were so pleased and thanked me profusely.
It is rare to see that kind of hunger here in Australia. Oh God have mercy on us.
The Holy Spirit gave us Judges 7:13, 14 before we went in to preach today:
“And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along. 14And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.”
Just as God sent Gideon into battle the enemy with only 300 men, so God today sent 3 women in to the enemy’s territory.
When we first arrived there was a strange feel to the place. I suddenly felt very ill with nerves. My stomach came down with a bad case of butterflies looking at all the people.
The best antidote for fear and nerves I have found is to get on with preaching immediately. If I procrastinate I can lose my nerve and sink into a mire of fear.
The funny thing is that as soon as I begin to preach the fear always leaves immediately. The strange feel to the place also left too.
I want to encourage you that our individual testimony of God’s grace and power in our life is powerful. H was sharing her testimony when a young man walked past. He kept stopping and looking back at her as she spoke about how God had changed her. Eventually he came back and asked me for a tract.
We each have a testimony to share with someone – and that is sufficient to be able to bring the gospel to someone who is lost.
These words from Wesley’s hymn “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” were on my heart all day today:
I met him on the street and shared the gospel with him. Weeping bitterly on the street, not caring who saw him, he seemed to genuinely repent of his sins. The next time I saw him he seemed completely different, happy, in control. To me that demonstrated the “fruit” of true salvation.
How wrong I was.
One may wonder if it is even possible that somebody could pretend to be a Christian. Yes, it’s definitely possible. Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:13
“But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived”.
So here are some things that I learnt from 4 confusing, consuming months with an imposter:
That it is so important to be able to recognize other people after the Spirit, rather than according to the flesh. 2 Corinthians 5:16.
That we need to be able to test the spirits. (1 John 4:1) Even though someone may have amazing “revelations”, quote scripture, do all the right things, seem spiritual, this can all be a facade. We need to listen to the Spirit. Is there a check in our spirit regarding this person? Ask God for the gift of discernment.
Never to put any human being EVER before my own children (yes, sadly I had to learn this lesson)
To listen to my husband and my father, especially because they are Christians. Sadly, as Eve was deceived by Satan, it does seem to be easier for women, in general, to be deceived than men.
That my desperation to see “results” of my work in the gospel had opened the door to the enemy. Christ should always be the centre – not our ministry, not results, not fruit.
That I should not be too quick to trust, but at the same time, not become hard and cynical. Trust needs to be earned.
That the devil seeks to consume us. Consume time, energy, spiritual life, emotional well-being. Any way he can destroy us through exhaustion/burn out he will attempt it.
That God is not the author of confusion nor disorder, but of peace. (1 Corinthians 14:33). If there is confusion, disorder, if things seem to becoming undone and out of control then the situation is not of Him.
(On this note, God gave me a dream around this time:
In the dream I invited a new friend to my home I believed to be
maniacworld.com
spiritual. Suddenly and unexpectedly this friend started throwing furniture around my home. It was scary, confusing and out of control. This is exactly what the devil will do if you give him right of access in any way.)
That an imposter can have a lying spirit and so will tell you things that they can’t possibly know without some sort of supernatural help. What this guy told me I thought was from God, when his source was actually Satan.
That because God knew my heart was sincere towards Him and that because I really did seek God’s will for my life, God did not let the situation go any further or for any longer than He had pre-determined according to His sovereign will. In a period of 48 hours God exposed the lies and deception of the imposter completely and entirely.
That God is kind. I mean really so KIND. Even when we make mistakes and mess things up. He was so gentle with me during this time, especially during the period that He removed the veil of deception from my eyes. By this time my body was steeped in physical exhaustion, my emotions were all over the place and my faith was flagging. God knew, and He was oh-so gentle with me. He upheld me and I will never, ever forget His gentle kindness towards me – His imperfect, erring servant.
That God is still in control in the chaotic situations of our lives – IF we are truly yielded to Him.
That God used this situation to teach us so much. Discernment, wisdom, knowing others after the Spirit can unfortunately only be learned through hard-experience.
The hard and confusing thing about this situation was that we really did love this guy. We sincerely wanted to see him saved. We truly wanted to be used of God. We had a zeal for God, but not the wisdom to accompany it.
Even though this was one of the hardest times I have experienced, God used it and taught us greatly and abundantly. Now years later, I see the fruit and depth of that experience in us and blessing others. I pray that this post will speak to someone who may be going through a similar situation. I pray others will learn through my mistakes. May God bless you with His kindness, wisdom and discernment.
“I will also tear off your veils and deliver My people out of your hand, and they shall no longer be as prey in your hand. Then you shall know that I am the Lord. Because with lies you have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad…” Ezekiel 13:21, 22
Israel was a large group of people, divided into 12 different tribes. As God is a God of order, this large group of people had to be arranged orderly. God set up the camp as follows:
The Tabernacle was in the midst of the camp (Numbers 2:17)
On the East side the tribes of Judah, Issachar and Zebulon camped
On the West side the tribes of Ephraim, Mannasseh and Benjamin camped
On the North side the tribes of Dan, Asher and Naphtali camped
On the South side the tribes of Rueben, Simeon and Gad camped
Many experts believe that the view from heaven as God looked upon the camp was in the shape of a cross.
Chuck Missler explains: “The tribes of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun–collectively called the Camp of Judah–had to encamp east of the Levites. This poses a technical problem. Notice that if the breadth of their camp was larger than that of the Levites, the excess would be southeast or northeast, not east. Therefore, their camp could only be as wide as the Levites, and they then had to extend eastward to obtain whatever space they required.
The camps of Reuben, Ephraim, and Dan had the same constraint on the south, west, and north, respectively. The length of each leg would be proportional to total in each camp.
If we assemble what we can infer from the Torah account, we can imagine what the camp of Israel looked like from above: the tabernacle and the Levites in the center, surrounded by the four faces of the tribal standards, and each of the four camps of Judah, Ephraim, Reuben, and Dan, stretching out in the four cardinal directions.”
God should be in the midst of the camp, in the midst of His people. Where Christ is in the centre of a believer’s life, or of a Church, then there is divine order. We see that God’s dealing with His people is always on the basis of the cross of Jesus Christ.
The Construction of the Tabernacle
The Tabernacle took nine months to build. It was built from materials which the Israelites willingly offered unto the Lord.
Christ was nine months in the womb of Mary. Mary willingly offered her life to God for His purposes.
“Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering. 3 And this is the offering which you shall take from them: gold, silver, and bronze; 4 blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and goats’ hair;5 ram skins dyed red, badger skins, and acacia wood; 6 oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense; 7 onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate. 8 And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. 9 According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it.” Exodus 25:1-9
We see that when we willingly give to God our lives then He will use it for His purposes and bring forth divine life.
God gave Moses a divine plan in building the Tabernacle :
“According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so shall you make it.” Exodus 25:9
Moses was required to build the tabernacle exactly to the plan which God gave Him.
“They served in a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: “Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.”” Hebrews 8:5
It was divided into three different areas within it.
source: tabernacleofmoses.org
There was the Holy of Holies, the Holy Place and the Outer court.
Each area had its own pieces of furniture. The furniture was also to be made exactly to the pattern that God gave Moses.
The Purpose of the Tabernacle
When Moses was on the mountain with God, God said to him:
“…let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.” Exodus 25:8
The purpose of the Tabernacle was for God to dwell among His people, in order to guide them and to bless and provide for them.
God has always desired fellowship with man. We see this with God’s dealings with Adam and Eve, with Israel and with the followers of Christ – His Church. In fact the Tabernacle of Moses points ultimately to Jesus Christ as it is a picture of God dwelling amongst man.
In John 1:14 we read:
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
The word “dwelt” here literally means to “pitch a tent”. It is from the Greek word skenoo
“…This word skene (tent) is the very word used in the New Testament to refer to the tabernacle of God used by Israel in their early worship of God. If you remember, the tabernacle was a wooden structure with a tent pitched over the top. In the Greek New Testament therefore, the word translated “tabernacle” is skene — “the tent” (Acts 7:44; Hebrews 8:2, 5, and chapter 9). Hence, when the glory of God descended to the earth to take up residence in the midst of Israel as described in Exodus 40:34-38, it could be said that God “pitched His tent” among men. The writer of the book of Hebrews calls it “the true tent [skene] that the Lord set up” (Hebrews 8:2). The glory of God went camping with Israel as Israel wandered in the wilderness.” (source: http://www.awordfromtheword.org/dwelt)
When Jesus became a Man and dwelt among us, it was the ultimate fulfillment of the Tabernacle of Moses. Here was God not only dwelling amongst human beings, but God dwelling in human flesh Himself. How merciful that God would take on human flesh to bring about fellowship with man again!
And now, as believers in Christ, God Himself dwells (tabernacles) in us. By His Holy Spirit God now dwells not only with man, but inside of man. The incredible kindness and mercy of God!
“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? ” 1 Corinthians 6:19
The Glory of God
We also see that where God dwells, He sends His glory. It is God’s desire that His glory is seen where He dwells. Back then it was in the Tabernacle, now it is in us. In eternity it will be in the New Jerusalem.
Once the Tabernacle was completed the cloud of God’s glory filled the tabernacle, Exodus 40:34-38
When Solomon completed the Temple, the glory of God filled the Temple, 2 Chronicles 7:1-3
God’s glory was seen in the Person of Jesus Christ as He walked the earth: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt (tabernacled) among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14
On the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus is transfigured and becomes radiant in glory, Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36
“… he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them… a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” Mark 9:2-7
Right now in the Church , it is “Christ in you, the hope of glory” Colossians 1:27 and see also 2 Corinthians 4:1-7
In the age to come the Glory of God is resplendent in the New Jersusalem, Revelation 22:9-27
“The city had no need of the sun or the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it.” (Verse 23)
Summary
The Tabernacle of Moses shows us many things:
That God desires fellowship with His people;
That God always is the one to initiate fellowship between Him and man;
That God has a plan to bring that fellowship about;
That God clearly shows man how to have fellowship with Him
That man must approach God in the way in which God appoints;
That the tabernacle points to Christ dwelling with and in man
That Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of the tabernacle and
Friday morning 3 others and I went into the city to preach.
Beforehand in prayer the Holy Spirit gave us Joshua 2:24:
“And they said to Joshua, ‘Truly the Lord has delivered all the land into our hands, for indeed all the inhabitants of the country are fainthearted because of us.”
Something the Body of Christ needs to know:
The demons indeed are fainthearted when the gospel of Jesus Christ is preached.
CT Studd said “If you don’t want the Devil to hit you, hit him first, and hit him with all your might, so that he may be too crippled to hit back. ‘Preach the Word’ is the rod the Devil fears and hates.”
Why? Because Jesus Christ has “disarmed the principalities and powers and made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in the cross.” Colossians 2:15
When the Word is preached, it is the proclamation of the public spectacle over all the powers of hell, over all the powers of sin and darkness, which was accomplished by Christ at the cross.
But. And there is a “but”… preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ needs to be done in the power of the Holy Spirit. The preacher needs the anointing of God.
Why?
Because it is essential to be able to preach to the “back of things” as T Austin Sparks would say.
We are not preaching merely at men and women. We are preaching to the spiritual realm at the back of all things. I would say that primarily we are preaching to the unseen realm. And this requires power – the supernatural power of the Holy Ghost.
I have also known when I am preaching to the unseen powers of darkness. This was in the Battle with the Hare krishnas. I knew that the victory of Jesus Christ was to be enforced over the principalities and powers. They fought and they tried, but Christ has “already lead captivity captive” and is already the victor.
When we are under the anointing of God we are standing in Christ’s stead, we are His ambassadors.
“Now, then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you, be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20
If we don’t have the anointing we are working merely in the flesh, the physical realm. We may have the correct doctrine and the right words but we are merely skimming the surface of things because the unseen realm is left undisturbed. As a consequence nothing of much value is accomplished.
How is that ice-addict to be freed from the grip of Satan? How will that young woman bound in witchcraft be made to see when the god of this age has blinded her eyes? The devil has to be dealt with first. Proclaim the victory of the cross of Christ, in the power of the Spirit, and his grip will be loosened enough for them to be able to hear the gospel.
With the anointing anything is possible. By the power of the Spirit when the gospel is proclaimed, the devil trembles and knows he is defeated already.
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8
I was under massive oppression all day today. I felt like crying, like giving up, I felt condemned, useless, hopeless.
And so I almost didn’t go into the city to street-preach tonight.
But when my wonderful husband said “I think “someone” is trying to stop you going in there tonight…” my will-power kicked in. Why should I be trampled down when my Jesus says “Behold I give you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions”?
So in I went.
And boy, I am glad I did.
There is a Jehovah’s Witness Convention on in the city this weekend and those JW’s were everywhere tonight! I know this because they wore purple badges.
Anyhow, there was a real anointing on the preaching tonight. People stopped and listened. Lots of people. Lots of teenagers, lots of Muslims. Lots of conversations were had. Praise God.
The JW’s didn’t stop though. They kept walking in their well-trained, don’t-make-eye-contact way. They wagged their heads at me, particularly when I quoted John 1:14 and proclaimed that Jesus IS God. They didn’t like it when I said that as Jesus hung on the CROSS the people wagged their heads at Him.
Someone else actually paid me $5 as I preached. That’s a first. I am not actually sure whether that’s a good or a bad thing. Anyway I gave the money away because it just felt too weird.
Again someone tried to unplug me as I preached, but I caught the young man and gave him a good scolding as only a mother can do.
By the third time I preached the devil tried to stop me. An angry atheist was sent to my left belting out antagonisms and an unstable person to my right continually tapping me on the shoulder saying “Do you have a minute?…Do you have a minute?”
How my soul delights to hide! Oh, how precious are the lessons Which I learn at Jesus’ side! Earthly cares can never vex me, Neither trials lay me low; For when Satan comes to tempt me, To the secret place I go
When my soul is faint and thirsty, ’Neath the shadow of His wing There is cool and pleasant shelter, And a fresh and crystal spring; And my Savior rests beside me, As we hold communion sweet; If I tried, I could not utter What He says when thus we meet.
Only this I know: I tell Him All my doubts and griefs and fears; Oh, how patiently He listens! And my drooping soul He cheers; Do you think He ne’er reproves me? What a false friend He would be, If He never, never told me Of the sins which He must see.
Would you like to know that sweetness Of the secret of the Lord? Go and hide beneath His shadow; This shall then be your reward; And whene’er you leave the silence Of that happy meeting-place, By the Spirit bear the image Of the Master in your face.
God has been showing me that right now we are entering a new season. Right now we are leaving behind the years of “plenty” and entering into the years of “famine”.
In Amos 8:11 we read:
““Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God, “That I will send a famine on the land, Not a famineof bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the Lord.”
I believe He wants me to share with you that whilst there is coming a wide-spread famine of the Word of God, He has a plan – a plan of mercy. And this plan is already well underway.
In Genesis 41 we read about another famine. One that spread throughout the whole world too. But of course back then God also had a plan.
God gave Pharoah two dreams. When no one could interpret their meaning, Joseph was summoned:
“Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do: 26
The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads are seven years; the dreams are one. 27 And the seven thin and ugly cows which came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty heads blighted by the east wind are seven years of famine. 28
This is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do.
29 Indeed seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt; 30 but after them seven years of famine will arise, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will deplete the land. 31 So the plenty will not be known in the land because of the famine following, for it will be very severe.” (verses 25-31)
The first seven years were years of plenty. The second seven years were years of famine.
We know that seven in the Bible is used for perfection, divine completion. I believe God is saying now the first season of plenty is complete, it is over. Now we are entering the second phase: famine.
A famine of the Word of God.
However:
Just as God had a plan of mercy for the famine in Egypt, so too God has a plan for this famine. Just as God sent a man, Joseph, ahead to Egypt to prepare for the coming famine, so too has God sent a Man to prepare for this one.
Just as Joseph went out from the presence of Pharoah to prepare for the coming famine, so too has Jesus Christ gone out from the presence of the Father to prepare for this coming famine.
If we look at Joseph’s plan, we see that it was quite simple. In the first season of the seven years of plenty, he stored up one-fifth of the food that was grown in local storehouses all across Egypt.
Kashan_granary_Barry_Kent
“So (Joseph) gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities; he laid up in every city the food of the fields which surrounded them” Genesis 41:48
In His sovereignty God knew this famine was coming. In His sovereignty God had sent ahead of it a man to bring about His plan of mercy, so that the: “food shall be as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt, that the land may not perish during the famine.” Genesis 41:36
Likewise Jesus Christ, by His Holy Spirit, has been gathering and building into God’s storehouses during this past season, in preparation for this coming famine.
Whilst Joseph used Pharoah’s stone or clay buildings to store away the grain, God has a very different type of building in which to store up His food.
It is us.
We are God’s storehouses. We are His plan for the coming famine. Into each of us He has been building day by day, year by year. Line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, there a little.
“…we have this treasure in earthen vessels…” 2 Corinthians 4:7
Whilst Pharoah used earthen buildings, God uses earthen vessels.
Whilst Joseph used the local storehouses to hold the grain, God uses the local Body of Jesus Christ to store up His divine Life. Every time we pray, we hear from God, we read the Word, we worship Him, we talk to Him, we spend time with Him He is building into us the bread of Life. He is storing away the grain in us of the Bread of God.
“For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” John 6:33
Remember: God always has a plan. He is in control. He is Sovereign.
When the second season began – the season of famine, the “famine was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.” Genesis 41:54
There is a time coming soon where there will be no bread for this world apart from what Jesus Christ has stored up in His own storehouses – in us, His people.
At that time Jesus will open up all of His storehouses and “all that is in them” (Genesis 41:56) will be given out to the starving masses.
Notice that it is the work of God to prepare for the coming famine. He is the one who gathers, who stores and puts away the food in us. All that is required of us is that we are there, receiving from Him.
Like Pharoah’s buildings we just need to allow the food to be stored up in us, and when the time comes, we need to allow our Lord Jesus to open us up and to use us.
We will be emptied for the sake of others. But it is when we give out, that He is able to pour more of His life into us again.
I want to encourage you brothers and sisters that the years past of your time with Christ, of pain, of suffering, of being built into… it is not in vain. It is for a purpose. God has been preparing His storehouses for such a time as this. Take heart, God sees you, He loves you, He is about to use you.
Building in, building in….in order to give out, give out.
The last time I went in to preach in the city’s streets was in the battle with the Hares some weeks back. That ended up taking a huge toll on me and I was sick for some time afterwards…
The good news is that they apparently haven’t been back to the area since.
“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.” 2 Corinthians 2:14
Something else I discovered tonight: a large Muslim contingent has set up two tables in the city’s most popular mall. There they distribute Islamic literature and even preach on microphones to the public.
Of course, they are entitled to do so, just as we are.
I find this disturbing though. Why? Because it is really hard to get Christians out there to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, yet the Muslims are seemingly doing it for Allah.
I suppose that may be because as Christians we are partakers of God’s wondrous grace. We certainly don’t have to street-preach or to share the gospel to be saved. We don’t have to work for salvation at all. No, it is all the work of God. And praise Him for that! However, I do wonder why it is so hard to get Christians out there when we have the greatest love story in the world to share (not to mention the Great Commission Christ gave us and the Holy Spirit to help us).
Christian brothers and sisters – we need to pray that God sends out more labourers into the harvest! We really do. Whilst most of the church is sitting in their comfy chairs watching tv or arguing amongst themselves over doctrinal issues, the devil is working diligently against the gospel of Christ.
I am not trying to put condemnation on anyone. It is hard to get out there. Believe me, I know. I also know that no-one wants to hear this…. But I think it necessary to speak the truth of what I see.
Brothers and sisters we urgently need two things :
intercessors, and
those willing to go. We need those like Isaiah who will say:
came along when H was preaching. They stopped and were listening. I went over to them with tracts and little books containing the gospel of John. They were so hungry for the gospel. They clamoured for tracts. When one saw I had little books as well, she cried out “I want a little book!” Well that set off the rest of the group who all also didn’t want to miss out and clamoured for the “little books”. They were so pleased and thanked me profusely.
Grace and Truth 