Last Day Move of God
I will at this time like to encourage each one who reads and studies this teaching to take time to pray concerning the content here. It is beyond the scope of most congregational teaching and one will need to allow the Spirit open his or her spiritual eyes for these wonderful truths revealed here. Without the Spirit of God you will only see the words you have seen many times before. May I dare to say if you do not have a passion for more of Jesus, this teaching will most probably not be for you today.
In 1517 Martin Luther, by receiving revelation of the truth of God’s word, set forth his ninety-five thesis. This event sparked the great reformation of Christ’s church. By proclaiming that salvation is by grace through faith, this word began to fill the hearts of man and spread like a fire that could not be quenched. Even until this time, some ten jubilees later, this teaching has set many free from religious law and effort. However, some remain in prison, but worse yet, many have taken this glorious truth and used it to justify sin by believing Christ’s wonderful grace is a cover for sin. They fail to understand this wonderful truth: grace is the power of God given to those who follow Christ, to live free from the corruption that is in this world through lust and fleshly desire.
It was during the writing of the book “Sons of God: The Authority of the Believer and the Church, in 2017-2018, that God, by His Spirit, began to open my eyes to show me the prophetic value of many scriptures in His word that are not traditionally considered prophetic.
This word I am sharing, I do not share as one who has obtained, but I press into it as one who God has shared these things and opened my eyes.
I know with all assurance this knowledge comes from above, and I can see the truth of it clearly.
It is God our Father who chooses when, where, and how to speak to His sons and daughters, and it is our responsibility to hear and respond to His words. As it has been told to me, “God gives information, it is up to us what we do with it.”
I would advise all who receive this word to be as the Berean and search out the scripture, and pray for the revelation of the Spirit of God, asking for the light of God’s revelation to shine in your heart for the truths of these words go beyond paper or print.
We have now entered into a time of greater revelation of the word of God, not for knowledge sake only but that we, His chosen and bride, may come to that perfect knowledge and attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
As God’s word tells us: “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.” Eph. 3:20
This word He gave to me to confirm His words to me when His Spirit spoke to me and said, “No man has yet seen the fences from afar off that guard the borders of what He will do through His great salvation that He has given us in Christ.”
We must not hold back because of fear, but we must see what the Spirit is saying to His Church and know He is able to do much more than we can imagine or ask.
Let us look at these great truths with this understanding. He works greater things than we can ever imagine and it is accomplished by the power that works in and through us. We must not put these blessings off until Heaven. It is clear by the Word and the enlightenment of the Spirit that God has reserved for this last time a greater blessing than what most have understood or what has yet been seen.
As we enter this study, my desire is to properly identify Jesus Christ and who He has called us to be.
It is time we do as scripture instructs and, “…leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits.” Heb. 6,1-3
The Identity of Christ
It is impossible to perceive who we are called to be without a clear understanding of who Jesus (Yeshua Hamashiach) is, therefore we will begin with a short but clear look at scripture for clarity.
- For in Him (Jesus Christ) dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Col.2:9
In our endeavors to discover our own true identity in Christ, we must have a clear understanding of who Jesus is today.
Our scripture tells us that Jesus is filled with all the fullness of the godhead bodily. There is nothing lacking. While scripture identifies the Father and the Son, Jesus so identifies with the Father He makes no difference between the two.
In John the first chapter we are instructed that, “…the Word was God… without him was not anything made that was made….” In verse twelve we discover the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. Again, we read in 1Tim. 3:16 … “…God was manifest in the flesh…” If Jesus is God manifest in the flesh, then it makes complete sense when Phillip asked Jesus to “show us the Father,” that Jesus would respond by instructing Phillip and His other disciples saying; “He that has seen me has seen the Father.”
Jesus so completely identified with the Father He tells Phillip, when you see me you have seen the Father.
Jesus was identifying Himself, not so much in the volume of God, but in the full presence of God the Father. There was nothing Jesus said or did that was outside the presence or the will of the Father.
Jesus clearly identifies Himself as one with the Father in His prayer in John 17 (we will revisit this later). If Jesus is identifying Himself as one with the Father, then we are challenged with a great question: What is the identity of those who follow Him?
Our Identity
- As many as received Him, to them He gave authority to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name. John 1:12
We who have received Christ are much more than sinners saved by grace. No longer should it be said that we are all just sinners. While we all may have that time when we fall short of our potential and calling, we, as sons of the Most High, should no longer look back because of sin but we should be always looking ahead to our high calling.
God has, in His word, declared that we have been given power “ex-oo-see-ah,” Greek meaning; privilege, authority and power to become sons and daughters of the Father. (Strong’s 1849)
Sonship is much more than a title or symbolism; it is a position given to those who are led by God’s Holy Spirit. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Romans 8:14
- For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but you have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Daddy, Father. Rom. 8:14
In Christ, we have been made children of the Most High. Just as Jesus had His identity as the Son of God; in Him, we also have our identity as sons of God. As with Jesus when He was tempted in the wilderness and on the cross, Satan tried to cast doubt on His identity. “If you are the Son of God…,” so it is with us. Satan casting doubt to blind our eyes to the true nature of our relationship with our Father. It just makes more sense to except we are only sinners saved by grace to the natural mind.
As stated, this is not a symbolic title only or a blessing waiting for us in Heaven. It is a legal action initiated by God and sealed by the blood of Jesus that we, in a literal and legal sense, become His children with the same family standing as the Only Begotten.
Son-ship grants to those who are in Christ authority to live and exercise all the blessings of Heaven declared to us in God’s holy word, as well as, freedom from the dread of judgement and an unknown future because, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” God Himself, by His Holy Spirit, places in each of us that assurance of our son-ship. Even in the greatest trial, the light of God’s Spirit shines and speaks with authority that we are His, and He has given to each of us the full blessings and authority of a member of God’s family.
- Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. John 1:16
Jesus, when He began His ministry and was tempted by the devil, each temptation began with a challenge as to His identity. The challenge is easily missed. He was again challenged when He was on the cross and it was said to Him as in the wilderness, “if you are the Son of God….”
We too are challenged in this area. There are very few who understand that all believers are called by God into the very fullness of Christ to enjoy the same grace Jesus enjoyed. This we will see in a greater measure later in this treatise.
All along this has been our great failure; to relate to that which God has blessed us with in Christ. May it be said here and always that this great blessing is only in Christ and purchased by His blood. I am in no way believing or trying to proclaim any type of ascension independent of Jesus Christ or inspiration beyond God’s word.
We have been trained over and over in a way that the old man was cleansed and made presentable to God. In other words, the old was cleaned of sins, and God has forgotten our failures. But our salvation is more than that, the old was put to death and a brand-new creature was given birth the moment we entered into the body of Christ. The old is utterly slain and put away as it can have no part with Christ. Our identity must be with the new and the old must be put down forever. We are not sinners saved by unmerited favor. Again, never should it be said. Yes, I was a sinner saved by grace; but now, in failures and successes, I must always identify with who I am in Christ. It is God’s grace that slays the old man and gives power to the new man to live in this world as He is.
“He is a new creature,” not a new person or a cleansed person. We must see, not from man’s perspective, but God’s; “new” (kaonos GK) recently made, of a new kind, unprecedented, uncommon.
We often speak of the new life in Christ, but too often this is understood as a second chance when, in fact, it is not. It is a first chance at a brand-new life so pure and new those who enter it are said to be “new creatures or creations.” The old is gone, passed away, and new life as a member of God’s real family begins.
From birth to the full maturity of a man takes years, it is not so with our new birth and maturity. There are no cells, joints or muscle to grow. However, in the spirit we grow by our faith and ability to receive and understand the full reality of God’s word. We can only bring forth fruit according to our faith. If we have no knowledge of or desire for the deeper word of God, we will never bring forth the results for which it was given. But all in all, God’s word must be made alive by His Holy Spirit in us.
- “Therefore, we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:4
It is true that we are baptized into Christ and His Ekklesia (church), but we only come into this place through our death that must take place and is actuated through baptism into Christ’s death. This is where the old man must die and be laid down and left behind. This does not mean we will not face the same temptations this wicked world offers as did Christ, but with them we are able to overcome because once we die and leave behind the old, we are raised up as that new creature in Christ by the same glory of the Father that raised up Jesus Christ.
I am not trying to call into question whether one has to be baptized to be saved; however, we are speaking of a greater obedience than a prayer alone.
It is here in this state we find the ability to live and walk in the newness of life. This is where the old pains, abuses, corrupt deeds, addictions, sinful and self-centered desires are left behind. It is now with this man raised by the glory of God we must identify. Old things are passed away. These old things should no longer take hold of us as we are now living in the power of the resurrected Christ.
“For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection. Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” Romans 6:5-6
It is by the lack of knowledge that God’s people perish. Therefore, let’s look closely at the above scripture.
We are talking of much greater things than our entrance into Heaven when we die. Scripture declares that if we are to live in the likeness of his resurrection, we must also be planted together in the likeness of his death.
This is so high and powerful that even with the words spelled out before us, only by the Spirit of God can we grasp its power and full meaning.
When do we experience such blessing as this? When we die and are planted together in the likeness of His death. We must not put off this blessing of being raised by the glory of God until we arrive in that blessed place called Heaven. If it was so, sin would no longer be an issue because there would be no defeating it in our lives. Knowing that when we are crucified with Him, the body of sin is destroyed, and if it is destroyed it no longer has the power to imprison us that we should serve it.
Paul says; “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ in me and the life I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Gal.3:20
When the old man dies everything that is associated with it dies with him. It is now not my faith by which I am raised and sustained but the faith of Christ Himself that raises me and gives me new live. If this is true and I hold to it with all of my heart, how can I now serve sin in my body? To continue to identify with the old man makes it impossible to live according to the whole provision of Christ.
This is no symbolic or natural process. It is real and only accomplished by faith and a supernatural act of God.
- “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also give life in your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwells in you. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:10
Why do we struggle with sin? Where is the power to once and for all conquer that which drove Jesus to the cross?
Our scripture clearly tells us “…if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin.” Sin should not survive where the life of Christ dwells. I hear the retort even while putting this on paper: everyone sins! It may be so, but that is not the testimony of scripture. We are told in scripture, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:2
In these five hundred years after the reformation of Martin Luther, we now hear calls from the prophets concerning a new reformation. It is in this which God is reforming in us. That is, Jesus Christ has set us free from sin and the separation it brings and has called us to be sons and daughters of the Most High God.
I know many will say this is no new revelation as it has been preached for many years. This is true, but there has not been such a clear revelation and power for such a life as to the level that scripture declares.
Take note of the statement, “He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also give life in your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwells in you.”
We know the Apostle is writing to the church at Rome. He is not evangelizing but instructing Christians in the blessing of what God will do. It is a prophetic statement given to those who were where we are today, which is, in need of a greater revelation and power to be changed more completely into the image of Christ; to bring us to full maturity in Christ.
My question to the honest seeker of truth is: If He who raised Jesus Christ from the dead shall also give life to your mortal bodies, why then do so many struggle? Could it be for the lack of knowledge, therefore the lack of faith, that the death that must take place is not realized to the point that the full life and power of Christ is released?
Reformation does not just change how we think or operate only; it changes who we are. We have read and heard the words for years but now to those who seek Him in prayerful, worshipful pursuit, He is bringing life to these words, and Jesus Christ is being and will be revealed to the world in a much more powerful way.
- Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus Christ our Lord, According as His divine power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that has called us to glory and virtue: 2 Peter 1:2&3
Grace (charis) the divine influence in the heart, and its reflection in the life. (Strongs 5485: newer versions differ)
God’s favor is certainly unmerited, but the meaning of grace is something greater and much more powerful. Grace is God’s power working to influence our hearts and shine in our lives. What is that which is seen? Nothing less than the full character of Jesus. Where does this grace come from? Our answer is, the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ.
Knowledge here does not mean the obtaining of information but the full discernment of that which we have. It is by this full discernment of God and His Son Jesus Christ that we have been given “all things that pertain to life and godliness.” There is no empty place remaining for sin and carnality to hide. God has given us all that pertains to life and godliness. There is no excuse, no cries of “I’m only human” or finding comfort in the statement, “everybody sins,” that will suffice.
It is “all things” we must now pursue and declare to the whole church that we might all obtain to that which Jesus has paid such a high price.
There is a new reformation, and that is the Spirit of God calling us into a greater and fuller knowledge of God and His Son Jesus Christ. It is by this knowledge that we are called into glory and virtue. Rarely has this been spoken of.
Even as I am writing the Holy Spirit placed this in my heart. What glory is the scripture speaking of? It is no less the same glory Jesus states He has given His followers; “And the glory that you have given me I have given them…” John 17:22. The very same glory the Father has given Jesus is the same glory He gives us. As it shines in and through Him, so should it shine in and through those who are His. It is by the full discernment of God and his Christ that we are invited into this glory and virtue.
- …whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these all of you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust 2 Peter 1:4
Scripture boldly and loudly declares we have been given not just promises but exceedingly great and precious promises. The word “precious” in the Greek is “timios” and it means, as of great price. Schofield 5093
We have too often misunderstood that these exceedingly great and precious promises were not given to supply our natural man with what we want or need. God, in His mercy and goodness, does promise provision to those who walk with Him, but these promises are greater, much greater, exceedingly greater.
It is by these promises that we may enter into a state of being and place in Christ in which we may partake, fellowship and partner (2844) in the very nature of God Almighty.
We must stop here and meditate on this great and rarely spoken truth. God Almighty, through Jesus Christ, calls us to share in the glory He gave His son Jesus Christ, and through Him allows us to enter in and partake in this exceedingly great and costly promise that is to live, dwell and be filled with the very essence of who God, the creator of all, is.
We must not allow false humility to deceive us into thinking it is a great offense to think of oneself in this way. God Himself has given this great blessing to us. We cannot be afraid to meditate on and enter into this great and costly blessing from above.
Even though we understand the meaning of the words, we struggle to accept this for our life today. Unless the Holy Spirit brings this to life in us, the words are only words that we say we believe but can do nothing with. Until God opens our eyes we are stuck in our humanity, but Christ calls us to partake in His very nature and liberty.
Why do we struggle so? Just like a baby in the womb must take that dangerous journey that brings her into this life, so we must enter into the divine nature in the similar way, yet in the spirit. It is here we receive the promise of power to live and demonstrate Him as scripture has declared to us.
“…having escaped the corruption (decay) that is in the world through lust.”
Why are so many families in our churches falling apart? Why are so many depressed? Why are there so many addicted to drugs? Why are so many addicted to pornography? Why are so many sick? Why are our children overcome by the powers of this world? Why has the church become so irrelevant in our communities? Could it be as the world has entered into this dark and wicked age, we have not moved into the deeper more powerful life of God? Has God called us to go deeper and we did not hear His voice? I pray not, but today is the day of salvation. Let us begin our journey into this greater walk.
It is the nature of God working in us that empowers us and frees us from the power of sin. This is what God is calling us into…and there is more than this… much more.
- Of His fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. John 1:16
This may be the first scripture the Spirit opened my eyes to when He began revealing to me who we are as sons of God in Christ.
I have heard preachers say “Jesus received the Spirit without measure, “…For God gives not the Spirit by measure to Him” John 3:34; but we receive the Spirit by measure. Scripture would dispute this notion. We are told loudly and clearly in scripture Jesus did receive the Spirit without measure and He tells us, “Of His fullness have all received….” Fullness means to be full just as a container is full. There is no measure to the fullness of Christ as He was given the Spirit without measure, and of His fullness we receive. No limits; only the lack of understanding, vision and faith prevent us from entering this deeper walk. Perhaps the timing of God is in play as well.
The first church enjoyed great power and presence of Jesus, but what has our Father withheld for this last time?
Fear will obviously bring those who would perhaps venture out of their boxes of safety to a halt, as fear and faith cannot abide together.
Many who are frozen by religious and denominational boundaries will certainly resist the idea of man entering into a place of operating in the fullness of Jesus Christ; but in order to do so, he or she must create a false answer to our scripture.
As we go deeper, we are told that we are given “grace for grace.” Simply put, this same grace that influenced the heart of Jesus and shone in His life is the same grace given to us.
As I said earlier, grace is unmerited, but grace is not “unmerited favor.” As used in many circles. It is the power of God working in our hearts and shining in our lives. The grace Jesus enjoyed was not unmerited, and yet we have been given the same grace.
It is the same grace that Jesus displayed when He was taken to the bluff to be killed. He did not panic; He maintained His peace because of grace. The same love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, faith and power that Jesus possesses and demonstrates are given to us in the same measure: “Of His fullness have we all received, grace for grace;” no limits. In saying this, we must always remember, Jesus said and did nothing except He heard or learned it from the Father.
As we continue on, we must rid ourselves of any limitations we have placed on God. We have come to and are living in a time of fresh revelation. Anyone entering into it must desire to know Him and receive from Him passionately. The casual worshiper will surely be hindered by that which keeps him or her casual in the relationship with God.
For What Purpose
- You are complete in Him. Col. 2:10
You are complete…we must see this statement and others from God’s point of view. He is calling that which is not as though they were. He is speaking completeness to us because we need, in all our lives, nothing more than what is given in Christ. Regardless of our level of maturity, we have all.
In Christ when we begin our new life, we have all that is needed to nourish us on our path to full development. We are complete in our potential to be all God has created us to be, and yet if we sit back and live life as we have no higher purpose than dying and going to Heaven, we will not fulfill our calling in Christ.
Verse nine of Colossians informs us, “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” When we are in Christ, we are complete because He possesses the fullness of the Godhead and we are partakers of His fullness.
To the one who will put down all to follow Jesus, it is he who is enabled to enter into this completeness to become a fully matured son of God. It was Jesus who tells us, “if any man come after me to be my disciple, he must deny himself and take up his own cross and follow me.”
If when we come to Christ and we are complete, except development, what is it we are to grow into? In our next section we will discuss that.
- “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”
Eph. 4: 11-13
We are now entering the final stage of our section, but here we will discover the whole purpose of our salvation.
In order to enter in, we must stop clamoring for and crying for the rapture. I am not saying here there will not be a catching away. We find it so in scripture and contrary to some modern teaching, many early first and second century church fathers wrote of it, but as we look at scripture not only as instructive but prophetic, we will understand God will not end this age by Jesus coming for a weak, beat down fearful church.
God paid a very high price that we, His church, might come to Jesus, be cleansed from our sins, enter into son-ship and grow up into a mature man that is living in the full measure of the stature of Jesus Christ.
God has given to the church the five ministry offices “until” we attain to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God.
We have in many ways changed the message of God’s word and set our eyes on something much less valuable than the goal. That is, we have looked at the journey instead of the goal.
We must ask God to open our eyes seeking the true meaning of “the measure of the fullness of Christ.”
What is this full measure? We have come back to our beginning, speaking about fullness. There is a powerful message here. To be all Christ paid for, we must now pursue that which God has called each one in His body, and that is to live and display the full measure of the image of Christ.
- In whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. Eph. 2: 21-22
The whole of Christ’s church before His return will be joined together and will, by God’s standards, grow into a holy temple. We are, as the body of Christ, being built (not yet a completed work) into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
Does anyone know what this looks like or can anyone look at the church as we know it today and honestly say that what we have today can in any form, except using symbolism, be an organism joined together for a dwelling place for God by His Spirit? How powerful will this be?
If we don’t understand how this will look, there is only one answer. When we are walking in the fullness of Christ, His love will be that cohesion that brings and holds His church together. When we love to the point denominational differences and teaching will not be able to separate us, when we love one another and our fellow man as Jesus does, we will no longer be concerned about our congregations only but will take hold one to another in agreement to declare the love of Jesus to whole communities without jealousy and pride.
- That they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. John 17:21
Before Jesus’ passion He makes a request to the Father, “…that they all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you.” This oneness is not just agreement, even though agreement is important. What Jesus is asking is that we might come into such a condition that when seen by the world they will know (be certain) that Jesus was sent by the Father.
This condition was so on Jesus’ heart He mentions it four times in His prayer. If this holds such an important place in Jesus’ heart, we must discover what He is asking and pursue it with all of our hearts.
This is important for two reasons. One, so the world might see a great witness of Jesus and know He was sent by the Father. Two, that we, His church, enter into and possess all He shed His blood for. This is what He paid for and desires to give us.
It is us who the world sees. When we are truly one in Him, we will know and experience Jesus as He knows and experiences the Father. It is us who demonstrates the love and power of God in the earth. How is this done? How do we define oneness? Jesus has done it for us.
“That they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you….” If we are to look like Jesus and be in Him as He is in the Father, we must begin to identify in this way. Even though we fall short today we must by faith see it and then become all He has created us to be. Do not put it off to Heaven.
Jesus so identified with the Father that He told Phillip, “If you have seen me you have seen the Father.” Jesus is so full of the presence and nature of God that the very life of Jesus demonstrated and displayed the essence of the fullness of God the Father. We have seen in our verse from 2 Peter 1:4 that we are partakers of this very same nature. This is the life we are to display. This is the great blessing and responsibility given to us as followers of Christ.
- By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so are we in this world. 1 John 4:17
There is no greater scripture that declares what we are to be. This word is not stating that we are to represent Christ in this world only, but it is declaring that as He is, not before His death, but as He is today in His exalted condition, so are we in this world.
How is it so? “God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” 1 John 4:16. There is only one way. That is the love of God. It is this love that will break down every barrier and heal every separation in the body of Christ. “For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones,” Eph. 5:30. What more can we say? God has called us to such a nearness that we are declared to be His flesh and bone. I cannot think of any other way to proclaim what the Spirit is saying and our responsibilities in fewer words than this.
We are the body of Christ. It is our demonstration of Christ’s love and power in this world that will give a great witness Jesus before He comes. When we are truly one as Jesus prayed, then who we are, and what we do, will be a perfect reflection of Jesus, who is a perfect reflection of the Father. We must not allow preconceived ideas nor denominational leanings limit our understanding of what God is saying to us.
We must not wait for a revival to experience a great blessing from God before we act.
We are His body, if we abide in His love. While we cannot move without the head, we must move. We are told to draw near to God, and He will draw near to us. We have the first responsibility to move. Again, submit yourselves to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. The church has again the first responsibility to act.
What pain or suffering must take place before the body of Christ sees the need to join hands and humbly come before the Lord seeking a strategy and power to demonstrate the love of Jesus to our communities? Simply put; in order to demonstrate Jesus Christ in such a way that the world clearly sees Him, we must begin to act and display His love with one heart, openly and boldly to the lost.
- “And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts…” 2 Peter 1:19.
Our scripture carries with it a great mystery. To get a better understanding, it may help us to consider what Paul wrote to the Galatians.
In Gal. 4:19 it reads, “My little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you.” Paul is telling the church that he is in travail as if giving birth as he prays for Christ to be formed in those he is praying for. This is something that has not yet happened in the hearts of the believers Paul is praying for.
As we study this along with other scriptures, we find there is a work of the Spirit that is to be done in each believer in which Christ is fully developed and formed in our hearts.
It is so important that we begin to identify, not only on a personal level, but on a whole-body level, as to who we are and what Jesus has done and is doing for us. This is so much more than inviting us to Heaven when we die.
It is clear from our text in Gal. 4:19 that there is a forming of Christ that the Apostle desired and was praying for. This forming of Christ is no less than that which is mentioned in Ephesians 4:13, “until we all attain… … the measure of the stature of the fullness (full measure) of Christ.”
We cannot symbolize this any longer. We must take hold of this high calling and recognize it for what it is. There is a fullness of Christ that we are to enter which is no less a full demonstration of Jesus Christ Himself working and revealing Himself in and through us, His Church, to the world.
In this section’s scripture, Peter tells the church, “And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place.” The testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy. His testimony is His word to us. We are told we will do good to look to and pay attention to it like it is a light shining in a dark place. This instruction has a time limit, and that is; “until the day dawn and the morning star rise in our hearts.”
As we know, prophecy can have more than one fulfilling with the lesser events setting the stage for the final event.
We are instructed to look to the prophetic words of Christ until the “day dawn.” This is a specific time scripture tells us to look ahead to for something that appears in our hearts.
In nature, the dawning of a new day is when the light breaks on the horizon and it is clear the night is over. Every morning there is a prophetic sign given when this is about to happen, and that is the appearing of Venus, the Day or Morning Star.
We know in Rev. 22:16 that Jesus is called the bright and morning star.
This Morning Star (Jesus) is arising in the hearts of the people of God to declare the coming of a new day, a day when the night is gone and the light of God shines clearly.
Jesus is this Day Star, and believers are told to keep watch and pay attention until He arises in the hearts of those paying attention.
We must remember Peter is writing to the already saved in his letter. This is a powerful prophetic message speaking of its ultimate fulfillment sometime just before Jesus comes back again.
Conclusion
With all that I have in me, I have declared to the reader, the heart of God and where He is moving His church. This is the last days move of God.
From this writing it has been some 502 years since Martin Luther wrote and made his declaration. What he wrote was clear in scripture but hidden from man for many years.
It is at this time, nearly 2000 years from Pentecost, the Spirit declares to us that we are not only to bare in our bodies a seed of His Holy Spirit, but as Christ declared; if you have seen Him, you have seen the Father, so it is to be with us.
It is His church that should be bearing the image of Jesus Christ in love and power in such a measure that the world might see us and know Jesus was sent by the Father.
He has done so much more than call us sons. He has given to us, according to His divine power, all things that pertain to life and godliness through the full discernment of Christ as He has given us the same glory and virtue that He shared with the Father. Not only this, but by His great and costly promises we are invited to partake in His divine nature. Divine nature, simply put, is to be filled with His character and integrity because He has given us His Spirit. This is God’s nature; not god-like nature.
It is Jesus who is to be seen, but it is his body who has been given, by Jesus, His glory to declare and demonstrate to the world that Jesus was sent by the Father.
Jesus, in one prayer, mentions four times His desire for the church to be one. Twice Jesus asks that we be one as He and the Father are one that the world might know He was sent by the Father. It is foolish to think if this was so on the heart of Jesus it will not be fulfilled.
If we are to be in this world as He is, how does that look? If we love like Jesus, we will love one another to the point of caring for each other without judging or tearing down. Not only that, but we will love the lost. For God so loved the world He sent His only begotten Son. God sent His Son and now we are sons and He sends us to display the only begotten Son.
The church must tear down barriers within our organizations and our hearts that prevent us from working together as a living organism to reach our communities. We will pursue what we love. It is love that displays Jesus, not church services, prayer lines and not even miracles. However, love will produce these things. When God’s love is displayed to those bound by chains of sin, they will be freed and many miracles will be done when the love of God is expressed selflessly to the world.
It is the doing of something that perfects us. The perfect practice of love will bring us into the full stature of Christ, and we will be seen in this world as He is.
We are told in scripture to “look for and hastening the coming of the day of God…” 2 Peter 3:12. How can this be done? Again, as we love let us tear down every barrier of fear, envy and jealousy, not fearing what we may lose but celebrating what Christ will gain as we join hands to overwhelm our communities with the love of Christ.
Jesus will soon return, and His word declares that He will return for, and present to Himself, a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
We have cried for the latter rain and now our Father is sending by His Spirit to those who will diligently seek Him a fresh word and anointing. Let’s go on and build on the foundation laid by the Apostles and Jesus Himself to become the church Christ declares in His word that He is coming for.
Amen, let it be so Lord.
Charles McPherson