Posted: 02/23/2014 at 8:02am | IP Logged

A recognized Institution Part 2:

Please read part one before you read this or it will make no or little sense to anyone.

Part 2:

One of the most difficult things  for many in the church is to recognize the difference of what is “church system life” of the 2nd day, and the “kingdom of God life” of the 3rd day, Kingdom of God age that is now upon us.

One of the ways to help understand the change God is trying to make in his “church” is to bring us from the “outer courts” where sin is dealt with, from the “holy place’ where we do work for God and tend the things of God, to the life of the Holy of Hollies, which is the kingdom of God on Earth as it is heaven.”

Over the last 2000 years, the Lord has been slowly restoring us back to the place he intended for us before the fall of Adam. Each generation, each century, God unfolds to those who have eyes to see, and ears to hear a little bit more of his “restoration” process of His desire for us to dwell in him and with him forever and ever.

He uses many pictures in the Bible to portray this to us like the Bride, Full Grown Sons, A Heavenly City, Over-comers, but all of these speak of what true Kingdom life is. The “church” not the “church system” was birthed with the very wind and power of the Holy Spirit filling and absorbing the young believers to live a life totally led by the Spirit of God. They did not dare to move or breath without the direct participation of the Holy Spirit.

Slowly through the generations the enemy came in to deceive God’s people by slowly and methodically replace life in the “Holy Spirit” or “Kingdom life” with a “man made replica” called Religion or a church system life.”

Paul writes to the church in Galatia, “who has bewitched you or cast a spell over you, you started this new life in the Holy Spirit, why are you now trying to reach perfection in the flesh? Through the centuries, “spirit filled life” got replaced with “religious filled life.” The law that was supposed to be written in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, the love that was supposed to be shed abroad in our hearts, got replaced by man made ideas and human love trying to do the work of God or to change ourselves.

Each step God has done in restoring and redeeming His people has taken us from being outside and lost to find him in the Outer courts of “salvation. Thank God for the Blood of the Lamb that has set us free through repentance and turning to Jesus as our Savior.

Then the journey continues until we go through the outer courts to the Holy Place where the table of shew bread is, the lamp stands, and alter of incense. This represents the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and gifts of the Spirit enabling us to do what God wants us to do, but more draw even closer to His presence.

The present Charismatic/Pentecostal church life since 1900 has remained in this Holy Place ideas of service to God and men. It is here men try to minister to God, but also minister to people.

Again, let me say this, In the Holy Place human efforts can come and be mixed with God’s efforts. This mixture is what keeps the church from truly living a Holy Kingdom life because in it we can do works, we can bring offerings, we can bring what we think God wants and never meet His true needs.

This Holy Place is a “type and sign or omen of this present age” the Book of Hebrews chapter 9 tells us. Let’s read the word of God about this.

Hebrews 9:1- 10 Now even a first covenant had ordinances of divine service, and its sanctuary, a sanctuary of this world. For there was a tabernacle prepared, the first, wherein were the candlestick, and the table, and the showbread; which is called the Holy place. And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holy of holies; having a golden altar of incense, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was a golden pot holding the manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; and above it cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy- seat; of which things we cannot now speak severally.

 Now these things having been thus prepared, the priests go in continually into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the services (their ritual acts of worship AMP); but into the second the high priest alone, once in the year, not without blood, which he offers for himself, and for the errors of the people:

by this: the Holy Spirit this signifying, that the way into the holy place hath not yet been made manifest, while the first tabernacle is yet standing; which is a figure for the time present; according to which are offered both gifts and sacrifices that cannot, as touching the conscience, make the worshipper perfect, being only (with meats and drinks and divers washings) carnal ordinances, imposed until a time of reformation.

This is such a powerful witness to the change God must bring and the one so many leaders will have a problem understanding. In the midst of the “church” the “Body of Christ” is a “church system” patterned after the Holy Place. In that ‘system” we “do things as “ritual acts of worship.”
What are those things in the present “church system” that are ritual acts?

Every local church has some of these things in it. Now, please don’t misunderstand me, God is in it, for His presence is in the Holy Place, but He is in it for a much deeper reason than for God to bless our efforts of what we are doing in His name. 

Almost all local church does the following:

Sets the time for the “services”

Set the agenda for the service.

How to start, who will start it

A time for prayer with the people

A certain number of songs.

A certain type of songs (3 fast, 2 slower, 2 worship)

A Special song:

Testimonies

10 minutes of annoucements

How to give tithe and offerings

30-45 minute sermons

15 minute prayer time for people.

Once in a while there are a few leaders who let the Holy Spirit have his way in a few meetings, but the “form of our meetings still stays a “recognized institution.”  Leaders often determine how "much" of the Holy Spirit they will allow to come.

The average pentecostal service is under 2 hrs,and the average Evangelical service is 1 hr.

Along with this "ritual acts of worship" we do each week we add weekly ministry meetings:

Mid week bible studies

Youth ministries

Teen ministries

Singles ministry

Womens ministry

Mens ministry

Outreach ministries

Training and equipping times

Worship practice

I am just naming a few things that 98% of the church does week after week, month after month, year after year. Though there is much “good” in those things and people may be touched and changed to a degree, the Life of the Kingdom of God is not lived through His people as God intended to be.”

Very few Christians in this type of structure ever come to a true maturity in Christ and His character. Most of this “church system” life allows you to keep your life as you have known it to be and then do a “few things” for God.

This present church system life produces great church people, but few disciples or people endowed and filled with the Kingdom of God life in them.

Many of the same people that go to church Sunday after Sunday, Wednesday after Wednesday, may learn a new vocabulary, may stop doing certain things and be better people, but in all that they don’t become disciples.

Jesus said a “disciple is to be exactly like His Master.” Do we the “people of God” look like Jesus to the world or even in our nation? NO, we don’t. We tell them, we are just like you, we are not perfect, but at least we are forgiven.

The lack of spiritual growth in the "present church system and order of services) is founded on the fact that we have chosen to make the “holy place” our destination and not the life in the Holy of Hollies that is found behind the veil. Behind that veil is kingdom life, kingdom power, kingdom authority, and the true life in the vine that few ever find.

Hebrews chapter 9 tells us that as long as the Holy Place remains a recognized institution and still standing, “it blocks” IT BLOCKS the true way into the Holy of Hollies.

Verse 8-10 says, “the Holy Spirit thus signifying, that the way into the holy place hath not yet been made manifest, while the first tabernacle is yet standing; which is a figure for the time present (or this present age AMP); according to which are offered both gifts and sacrifices that cannot, as touching the conscience (change the conscious of a believer AMP), make the worshipper perfect (grow to maturity AMP), being only carnal ordinances (man made regulations), imposed until a time of reformation.

In the 9th Chapter of Hebrews, the author deliberately leaves out the “outer court.” Why? Because the outer courts are the “courts we get saved in by coming to laver to examine our hearts.” In the outer courts we have to bring a “sin offering” to wash our sins away. Our sin offering is the life of Jesus Christ who died for our sins.”

So the writer now deals with “real life”, “kingdom life” and where it can be found. He tells us that the Holy Place can’t complete us because in the holy place we are “Tending things to do for God.”

Beloved, tending the “work of God” can not perfect us, change us or prepare us to rule and reign with him, or even have Kingdom life flowing out of us.”

The writer then points the way to the 3rd day, or Kingdom age, or Kingdom life and where it is. It is behind the veil in the Holy of Hollies. The true life of Christ fully functioning in His people can only happen when we go past the Holy Place, “church system”, 2nd day, into the 3rd day or Kingdom life or age that is now becoming manifest.

The 3rd day must swallow up the second day sought of speak or the 2nd day must dawn into the 3rd day. For as long as the Holy Place “church system” remains a still standing institution, it becomes a block to the life behind the veil. The word of God says so, not Brother Henry.

The form, the ritual acts of worship, can not complete the task, it takes a deeper walk and work of God to finish us. Many who have pursued the Lord through their time in this system could never be satisfied with the “works and rituals’ of the present “church system and holy place ministry. So they come out of it to look to find Him behind the veil.

Those truly seeking the Lord in a deeper way realize that even the holy place ministry has been mixed with the things of the world to form a Babylonian compromising system of government over God’s people. Beloved, so many ideas from the world have crept in to the church, that we look more and sound more like the world than the Kingdom of God.

Those in the church system life but desire the Lord Himself more personally have felt the upward call to come up higher. But a change must come to each heart because it requires them to “come out of it” to go up in it behind the veil.

This is controversial because someone could say I am anti-local church.” No, what I am sharing is Gods' desire for the local church "ecklesia" to change from a religious Holy Place Moses 2nd day style of worship that lives in the Holy place to the 3rd day Davidic order of worship that goes behind the veil and ministers to the heart of God. Then in return God ministers to the hearts of men.

The Book of Revelation chapters 1-3 deals with the compromise and worldliness that beset God's people. There are things in the "church" that are not pleasing to God and are keeping God's people from entering the true Holy Love behind the veil and to live an overcoming life.

The sin and call to repentance found in these chapters is vital for us to recognize because it is impossible for the Lord to allow any of that sin and flesh to enter into the Glory found in the Holy of Hollies. Those things will die as soon as it enters in as the High Priest would if he didn’t follow the protocol of approach to God perfectly. No flesh will glory in his sight.

The ministry of the Holy of Hollies is the Glory of the Lord that must fill His temple. His temple must be filled and saturated with His Holy love being shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. So we become a light in the midst of the darkness. God's desire is for the kingdom of God to fully t reign and rest in His people until the kingdoms of this world become the Kingdoms of God in Christ.

How do we move past the Holy Place ministry? How does this effect “local church life as we know it to be? Can the “local church life” be transformed into a more deeper and powerful time of encountering God, being equipped by God from the Holy of Hollies? Yes it can!

The question is who really wants that? Is what we have built for God more important that what God wants to build in us? Will leaders be able to accept the fact of what they built can’t enter into the Holy of Hollies and stop doing it? Only God knows the answer to that question, but there is Kingdom life behind the veil that changes everything of the flesh into a life lived in the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:14 says, “those who are led by the Spirit of God are the Sons of God.” this leading of the Holy Spirit is what life truly is behind the veil. It is kingdom life breathed,saturating us, empowering us to live the life Christ lived on earth as it is Heaven in obedience to our Heavenly Father.

Do we want this beloved of the life? Will we hear the call that say, “come out from amongst them my people, and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you? Will we return to our first love and do our first work? Will be remove all the false doctrines by coming into the light and life behind the veil and allow God to burn them up? Will we overcome and become a pillar in the temple of God?

That is what awaits those who will be willing and obedient to allow God to change us out of the “church system age” to the “kingdom age.” That is what God will do as we cross the bridge out of the 2nd day into the 3rd day.

The whole work of our life changes behind the veil. The way we gather changes, what we do when we gather changes. The focal point from bringing a message in service to people encountering God personally and being changed in His glory happens. How we lead changes? how the 5 fold ministry function and it’s purpose changes?

Everything changes to come in line with the Kingdom of God, and it can happen easily as breathing if we surrender to it. I know there is no going back to me. I can’t live a Holy Place life anymore, I have tasted life behind the veil and that is where I will be found by the grace of God and I pray all those hungering and thirsting for God will say, “Lord if I lose everything it is worth seeking you for of the life behind the veil.