A PREPARED BRIDE

Revelation 19:7-8 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. ⁸ And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

Ephesians 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; ²⁶ That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷ That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

Jesus is returning for a prepared bride.  He is coming for a bride that has allowed herself to be cleansed and purified.  Jesus is coming for a bride that is without spot or wrinkle.  The preparation is done by the bride in submission to God. She has made herself or allowed herself to be made ready. The preparation isn't always easy.  To remove spots may take a little scrubbing.  To remove wrinkles generally takes heat and pressure.  But the end result is glorious. 

This bride will be prepared in relationship with God mostly in the secret place.  She will continually grow in intimacy, out of which ministry in the earth will be done in union with Christ to establish His kingdom on the earth.

He said be ye holy for I am holy.  This is not something that the bride can do by works, it comes by surrender, daily surrender and dying to self.

Jesus is looking for a bride of the same heart and substance as Him.  She will be one with whom He can share His heart, one through whom His glory will be manifest, one through whom He can live and move and have His being.  

Called By His Name

2 Chronicles 7:14-16 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. ¹⁵ Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place. ¹⁶ For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.

Isaiah 4:1 And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.

Exodus 20:17 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Some have a desire to be called by the name of God for the benefits that can bring.  But taking on that name comes with responsibilities.

In our culture it has become more common place for the wife to keep her name instead of taking on her husband’s name.  She gets the benefits of the marriage relationship and yet shuns the identity of her husband.  How often do we as Christians want the benefits of being a Christian but shun the true identity?  With that identity comes a taking on of the character that name signifies.  The names of God throughout scripture show us the breadth and depth of His character.  His desire is for that character to be manifested in and through a people that take on His name.

One of the Ten Commandments tells us not to take the Lord's name in vain.  We have made that be about using His name as a swear word.  It goes far beyond that.  Taking on God's name in vain has to do with being called one of His, but not manifesting who He is. 

Love of the Potter

A few days ago, I saw a vision of a potter's wheel with a pot on it being formed by hands.  The scene opened further and I saw that it was Jesus working in the pot. Jesus was the Potter. I sensed such incredible love for the pot emanating from Him as He formed it.

Jesus is working on each one of us. As we submit to His hand to be formed into the vessel of honor He is making us into, He has such incredible love for us. We don't have to be a finished, perfectly formed vessel for Him to love us.  He loves us during each part of the process of being formed by Him.

Sinai Surprise

During a meeting with God, Moses was told to go down and have the people sanctify themselves for the next two days and be ready for the third day.  God was going to come down on the mountain in their sight.  So the people prepared themselves as instructed. On the morning of the third day they experienced a mighty visitation of God

Exodus 19:16-20 And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. ¹⁷ And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. ¹⁸ And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. ¹⁹ And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. ²⁰ And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up. 

What an awesome experience that must have been!  They had never experienced anything like it.  I am sure during their days of preparation they had no idea that this is what they were about to experience.  Just like on the day of Pentecost as the people waited they had no idea what they were about to experience.  They were just waiting for “the promise of the Father.” 

The Israelites were terrified by the experience and pulled back from God, instead of being in awe of the power of this God and pursuing Him.  On the Day of Pentecost there were many that responded to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and to the gospel message preached by Peter. But I would guess there were many that walked away thinking it was just too weird. 

The people pulled back but Moses went up into the top of the mountain.  What was it about Moses that made him able and willing to ascend the mountain, while others were kept back from touching the mountain and pulled back even further at the sight of  it? 

May we be drawn to God and pursue Him as a result of the manifestation of His power and glory.  In the coming days I believe God will be manifesting Himself in awesome ways.  May we not be put off by how He reveals Himself. 

Gideon and the Harvest

God has been talking to me about Gideon protecting the harvest in the wine press. 

Leading up  to the account of Gideon in the book of Judges we see that the enemy was constantly attacking and stealing the harvest. They were vulnerable to attack because they had failed to obey God's word to them.  As the people cried out to God for deliverance, once again, He heard and raised up a leader by the name of Gideon to lead them out of the current situation. (Judges 6)

Gideon was hiding in the wine press in order to protect the harvest that had been brought in.  We often think of Gideon being a coward in hiding, when in reality he was doing whatever was necessary to preserve the harvest from the enemy.  Perhaps his concern for the harvest and willingness to do whatever it took to preserve it was the reason God called him. 

God called Gideon out to take down the false gods in Israel so that the enemy could no longer steal their harvest.  He needed to remove the idols of the false gods.  By removing the idols he was breaking the agreement with the powers of darkness that empowered the enemy to continually attack and steal their fruitfulness and sustenance. 

Then Gideon was used of God to raise up a small army of 300 to deal with the enemy forces.  It was a small army by God's design.  It was an army of men chosen by God.  All those operating in fear were sent home.  And the remaining ones were chosen out from the rest by a simple test.

God said to me "I am raising up an army in your region who are breaking their agreements with darkness and will send the enemy running.  This army will bind the powers of darkness through agreement with Me so there can be a great harvest. The enemy will no longer be able to steal the harvest.  Many will be freed from enemy oppression.  Keep marching forward.  Don't be concerned with the size of the army more will be added.  It is the quality of commitment that is important. " (I don't believe this only applies here.)

Fierce Love

Today I was reminded of this blog post from October 31, 2013 and felt like I should repost it.  So here it is......

Song of Songs 2:4  He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.

According to Nelson’s Bible Dictionary “A banner is a flag, ensign, streamer, or emblem attached to the end of a standard. Banners served as rallying points for military, national, or religious purposes……The most common use of banners was for military campaigns. A large signal flag usually was erected on a hill or other high place.”

God is raising up a warrior bride/army. The banner over God’s warrior bride/army is a banner of love.  This warrior bride will have a fierce love for God and for each other.    

Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. ³⁸ This is the first and great commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. ⁴⁰ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

You may wonder about my choice of the word “fierce.”  That is the word I heard from the Lord.  I looked up the word in the dictionary.   Here are some definitions of “fierce” from Webster’s Dictionary:   “marked by unrestrained zeal or vehemence, furiously active or determined, having or showing a lot of strong emotion : very strong or intense.”

I think that could describe the love that will characterize the bride of Christ in these last days.  It will be necessary to have that kind of love.  That kind of love comes from God.  It is not something we can find within ourselves.  God is love.  His love shines forth to us.  Then through us back to Him and to each other.

Song of Songs 8:6-7 Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. ⁷ Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.

Moving Into The House Of Greater Glory

The following is part of a word God gave me to share with pastors and leaders in Ghana. It is not just for them. So I am sharing it here.  

"It is indeed My desire to build My house in the nations and the glory of this latter house will be far greater than the former. My best wine has been indeed saved for the last  and is coming forth in this hour"

"The early church followed the Holy Spirit out of the structure of an old religious system of Judaism although it was the foundation of the new. Don't throw out the old, build on it. Don't disregard the previous generation, build on what they have learned.

I am once again calling my people out of an old religious structure. As the early church did, you will find out what the new looks like as you walk into it step by step as you follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. It is ok to not know what the next step looks like. On the day of Pentecost, they didn't know what they were waiting for until it came. They just knew they were waiting for the promise of the Father. When it did come, the promise of the Father was far beyond anything they could have imagined. Sadly some missed out on the promise because they went home too soon.  They gave up on waiting too soon.  They stopped pressing in too soon. After the initial outpouring they followed the Holy Spirit into what we know today as the early church as recorded in the book of Acts.  

Some of you are called to be pioneers/forerunners in what God is doing in this day in this nation. What the church is moving into in this day and the days ahead is even greater than that of the early church.  The glory of the latter house will be greater than the former. God is building His house in you and through you"

Haggai 2:9 KJVThe glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts. 

Psalm 127:1 KJV Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it

John 2:10 NIV and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” 

FOR THE JOY SET BEFORE HIM

As I was partaking of communion this morning, I was thinking of the passover meal that we know as the last supper when Jesus shared the bread and wine with His disciples.  The sharing of His body and blood in that way that night was the beginning of what we now celebrate at communion.  In Luke 22:15 it is recorded that Jesus said, "With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer..."  I was thinking Jesus, how could you look forward to this meal with great desire, knowing the great suffering that you were about to go through? Shortly after sharing the bread and wine of that passover meal with the disciples, Jesus went to the garden of Gethsemane And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. ³⁵ And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. ³⁶ And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt." (Mark 14:34-36)

In light of that, how could Jesus have looked forward to that meal with great desire? As I was thinking about that, the scripture that came to mind was this.  "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2)   Jesus was looking beyond the suffering and pain to the victory and joy that would be on the other side of the cross for Himself and for His disciples.

Because of the joy that was set before Him, I have often wondered if Jesus had a smile on His face as "He said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost." (John 19:30) 

Simon Becomes Peter (Part 2)

And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: ³² But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. (Luke 22:31-32)

Jesus will do whatever is necessary to see us restored even as He did for Peter. 

Jesus told Peter that He had prayed for him.  We can be assured that even now the great intercessor, Jesus is interceding for us, as He did for Peter during that time.

After  Jesus' death and resurrection, when the women met the angel at the tomb his message to the women was "But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you."  (Mark 16:7)  I find it interesting that the angel called him Peter, his new name and not Simon.  Jesus wanted them to make sure that Peter knew that the message was for him too, even though he had denied Jesus.

Shortly after that in an encounter recorded in John 21, Jesus asked Peter if He loved Him three times and told Peter to feed His sheep.  I believe in that encounter Peter was set free from his shame and guilt  and was restored by the love of the Lord Jesus. 

I believe that failure that exposed a weakness in Peter was a key event in Peter's life to prepare him for the important ministry role he had in the early church after he was restored.

Not long after that encounter with Jesus, by the sea, Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost and preached a sermon that resulted in 3,000 people being saved.  Later in Acts 5:15 was see that Peter walked in such an anointing that people were laid in the street so that when Peter walked by just his shadow would touch them and they would be healed. 

Peter had been admonished to strengthen his brothers after he was restored.  Jesus knew that Peter would come forth on the other side of this failure with something of substance that he could share with others.  Out of that experience Peter could now strengthen his brethren and feed the sheep in the Lord's pasture as one of the undershepherds of the Great and Good Shepherd (1 Peter 2 & 5)

Our healing and deliverance is not just for ourselves, but so we can then go and minister to others as well.

In Luke 22:33 Peter said "Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death." Later Peter did go to prison and to death for the Lord, as he said he would.  But there was a work that needed to be done in his life before he was really ready to do that.  Jesus knew that as He looked at Peter that night.  But Jesus also knew that Simon would come forth on the other side as Peter, the rock.

Simon Becomes Peter (Part 1)

When Jesus first met Simon, He looked at him and called him "Peter," which means a rock.  (John 1:40-42)  In the Bible names were often changed by God to indicate a change of character or nature.  Jesus was seeing that Peter would indeed one day be a rock, one of solid character and one of the foundational apostles in the beginning of the church.

Just after the Last Supper, Jesus and Simon Peter had the following exchange:  "And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: ³² But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. ³³ And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death. ³⁴ And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me"  (Luke 22:31-34)

Jesus called him by his old name Simon, but also by his new name Peter. I believe it was because Jesus was letting him know that on the other side of his failure he would be restored and would indeed be Peter, the rock.  Although Simon Peter, would fail the coming test, he would not be disqualified. 

Jesus knew Peter was about to act out of his old nature, instead of the new man he was called to be.  Sometimes there are things in our lives that we do acting out of our old nature and it surprises us.  But it is not a surprise to God.  He knew it was in there all along and arranged a circumstance for it to come out so it could be dealt with.  Satan is often used as God's tool to sift us.  That sifting brings a purity.

The dictionary definition of sifting is ”examine (something) thoroughly so as to isolate that which is most important or useful." 

Peter was indeed sifted by this experience.  Jesus could see beyond the sifting that was about the take place in Peter's life. It was like Jesus was saying "you are going to fail in the coming test, but I still see the rock in you."

Jesus loves us as we are but He also loves us enough to not leave us in our current condition.  And He makes available to us all we need to become all He had in mind even before we were conceived. 

Just as Jesus had told him he would, Simon denied him. When he realized what he had done he went out and wept bitterly. 

(The only other place I have found it recorded in Scripture that Jesus called Simon by the name "Peter" is  Matthew 16:17-19 "And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. ¹⁸ And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. ¹⁹ And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.")