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Apostolic Revolution - Strategic Keys - Part 1

by Todd Bentley

 

 

Apostolic Centers

God is not just planting churches, He is planting apostolic centers! During the last few

years of ministry I’ve been in numerous cities and regions where the Holy Spirit said,

 

"Todd, I want you to prophecy about the emerging apostolic centers and what

they look like." In this strategic hour, a call is going out to many believers to take

their place in this sphere. You, yes, you, may be led by the Holy Spirit to join with

others, corporately, to focus on facilitating this whole new thing that the Holy Spirit is

wanting to do in the Body of Christ today. A center may well be located in your city or

region, or in your nation! I’ll speak briefly, once again, about apostolic centers under

"New Government, New Structure" towards the end of Part 2.

 

 

The Apostolic

 

I must ask this burning question, "Are you aware that we are in a move of God?" I

think it’s surprising, the number of believers today, who are still waiting for this move

to begin. Listen! I am making an announcement: "We are in one. It’s still coming, but

we are in it."

 

I’m seeing it like the crest of this next wave-tsunami wave. The healing and the

prayer movements are in this wave, but it’s bigger than this. What’s happening today

in evangelism and the great harvest doesn’t complete the picture either! I believe

these three major moves of God (healing, prayer movement, evangelism/harvest) will

come together and constitute one, global move.

 

 

Definition of an Apostle

 

An apostle is the missionary who first plants the Christian faith in any part of the

world and one who initiates any great moral reform, or who advocates any important

belief. An apostle must be chosen and appointed by God. There are God-made

apostles, but unfortunately, there are man-made apostles, too. We need God-made

apostles who are prepared, anointed, authorized and sent by Him. Therefore, an

apostle must never be appointed by any man or college, institution or church that

might want to do so based solely on their own initiative, separate from the direction of

the Holy Spirit; and an apostle must not be self-appointed.

 

God is restoring apostles in the church today, but I would like to pause and bring a

word of caution. Those who say "I am an apostle" are the ones that we need to be

careful of. Usually the ones that really are apostles don’t say anything about who

they are. The anointing speaks for itself. And when the anointing is there-that’s it!

 

In addition, it is my belief that to even qualify to use the name "apostle," every person

who has an apostolic network should be moving in some kind of miracles, signs and

wonders and mighty deeds.

 

 

Apostolic Anointing and Authority

I want to share with you, nine true signs of what qualified genuine apostolic anointing

and authority looks like:

 

1) Separation

Believers are instructed by God to abandon themselves to a lifestyle of consecration;

those who will be totally separated to His purpose and call. Consecration demands a

 

high commitment to holiness and true apostles will reflect this way of life. "Paul a

bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of

God" (Romans 1: 1).

 

2) Fathering

 

True apostolic anointing is like being a loving father and is reproductive, producing

mature sons and daughters. . "For though you might have ten thousand

instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathersŠ" (1 Corinthians 4:15).

 

3) Team Counsel

 

An apostle has a team spirit and gathers with other apostles and elders for counsel at

prophetic round tables in various cities, regions and nations. Apostles maintain an

attitude that welcomes the wisdom of other apostles from different spheres and

locations. "Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter"

(Acts 15:6).

 

4) Signs, Wonders and Perseverance

 

Many who walk in a true apostolic anointing can even raise the dead! (This is the

most spectacular sign and wonder.) Here’s what Paul said, "Truly the signs of an

apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and

wonders and mighty deeds" (2 Corinthians 12:12). Notably, true apostles never

give up easily; they persevere in signs, wonders and mighty deeds, not getting

disappointed and discouraged. They just keep going. If they pray for one thousand

and nobody is healed, then they pray for another thousand. Perseverance!

 

 

5) Humility

 

An apostle walks in humility; Paul models humility: "Let nothing be done through

selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others

better than himself" (Philippians 2: 3). He also said, "For I am the least of the

apostles who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the

church of God" (1 Corinthians 15: 9).

 

6) Servanthood

"Imitate me just as I also imitate Christ" (1 Corinthians 11: 1). That’s a pretty big

 

statement for Paul to
make. I’ve been really challenged by that verse. Paul was telling the
Corinthians to follow Christ in everything they did; they were to

imitate him in living solely for the glory of God. He urged the Corinthians to have

servant’s hearts: "Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the

church of God, just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own

profit, but the profit of many that they may be saved" (1 Corinthians 10:32,33)

The passion of Paul’s life was to serve Christ and to serve others-that humble

commitment of love is a mark of the apostolic anointing. An attitude of servanthood

always seeks "the profit of many that they may be saved."

 

 

7) True Revelatory Gifting

This is such a significant gifting and true apostles receive the anointing to preach the

gospel through the revelation of Jesus Christ just like Paul did.

 

"But I make known to you, brethren that the gospel which was preached by me

is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it,

but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ" (Galatians 1: 11, 12).

 

Remember, for quite some time Paul was persecuting the church of God and he

wasn’t one of the 12 disciples. So in effect, Paul is saying something like this: I didn’t

get what I got the way you got it! I wasn’t with Jesus like you and hanging out with the

apostles. I haven’t even been with the apostles. I got it in the wilderness. I was

hanging out for months in the Arabian desert and for months, by revelation, by

visions and dreams and angels -who knows how it came? I got what I got! Also, Paul

emphasized that he saw the Lord just like all the other apostles did. "Then last of all

He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time" (1 Corinthians 15:8).

True apostles, most of the time, possess a strong anointing that is revelatory and

prophetic. They can actually change their "apostolic hat" to the "prophetic hat," but

also step out into ministry with both hats, and like Paul, shake entire cities and plant

churches with signs and wonders.

An accurate revelatory gifting will accompany a true apostle. There is a frequency of

heightened supernatural experiences that come with the apostolic. Apostles have

visions and dreams, receive the word of the Lord and they experience open heavens.

 

 

 

 

Character

 

God wants to raise up apostles with impeccable character who can be completely

trusted. His strategic assignments often involve life and death issues that can affect

multitudes of people. So, God is always examining an apostle’s character. But God

doesn’t just do character checks, He has a plan to build character. This plan is often

an excruciating process. God repeatedly tests apostles, using trials and tribulations to

reveal their real level of character. Apostles-in-the-making willingly go through this

maturing process because they want to please the Lord and to fulfill His call on their

lives.

Not only do tribulations help build character, they also produce perseverance and

hope. The apostle Paul preached about this: "And not only that, but we also glory

in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and

perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint,

because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit

who was given to us" (Romans 5:3-5).

 

9) Breaking Out

 

Like Paul, modern-day apostles pioneer into new territory; they don’t want to build on

anyone else’s foundation. They boldly enter dangerous places and they live to break

uncharted areas wide open with the gospel. Here is what Paul said, "And so I have

made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should

build on another man’s foundation, but as it is written: ‘To whom He was not

announced, they shall see; And those who have not heard shall understand’"

(Romans 15: 20,21). Apostles actually enjoy the adventure of new frontiers; their

hearts are set on a pilgrimage. Apostles, operating in their kingly authority, will

always "break out" into new territory and discover new ways of extending the

kingdom of God with power.

Looking At It God’s Way

Ephesians 5:15-17 (NIV) Be very careful, then, how you live, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

Repentance is taking in God’s point of view; looking at it His way.

Ephesians 5:8-10 (NIV) For you were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.

Note that if God by His grace reveals something to us that we can turn to, it may not make sense right away. But if we do not allow our eye to flinch as we take in God’s perspective, if we keep staring at it, we will find that it is good, pleasing, and perfect. Beyond "seeming right", it really is right.

If we continue to take in God’s point of view, then after time we will look back at the old way and say "What was I thinking? Ridiculous!" So do not grow impatient if God’s way does not immediately appeal to you; keep staring at it.

James 1:25 (Phi) But the man who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and makes a habit of so doing, is not the man who hears and forgets. He puts that law into practice and he wins true happiness.

Ps 34:5,8 (NIV) Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame… Taste and see that the Lord is good.

The Gift Of God That Goes With Repentance: New Appetites

1 Peter 2:2 (NIV) Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Ps 119:104-105 (NIV) I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore, I hate every wrong path. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

Ps 16:11 (NIV) You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

2 Peter 1:3-4 (NIV) His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

Rom 12:1-2 (NIV) Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is, his good, pleasing, and perfect will.

Warnings To Those Who Hanker To "Look Back"

Isaiah 30:15 (NIV) This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it."

Philippians 3:19 (NIV) Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.

2 Peter 2:21-22 (NIV) It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: "A dog returns to its own vomit," and "A sow that is washed goes back to wallowing in the mud."

Luke 9:62 (NEB) To him Jesus said, "No one who sets his hand to the plow and then keeps looking back is fit for the kingdom of God."

The Urgency Of Repentance

Isaiah 55:6-7 (NIV) Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

Rom 2:4 (Phi) Are you, perhaps, misinterpreting God’s generosity and patient mercy towards you as weakness on his part? Don’t you realize that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

Acts 17:30 (NIV) In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.

James 5:19-20 (Phi) My brothers, if any of you should wander away from the truth and another should turn him back on to the right path, then the latter may be sure that in turning a man back from his wandering course he has rescued a soul from death, and in so doing will "cover a multitude of sins."

Rev 3:3 (Phi) "Remember what you were taught. Hold to those things and repent."

Many think the word repent means "to get your act together" or to "get religion" or "fly straight"; as if we could. Repentance requires taking in a whole new point of view; looking at it God’s way. God simply asks us to turn. This is the way we accept His gift. When we do, certain outcomes are promised. If we don’t, or we "turn back", alternate outcomes are promised.

Look And Live

Numbers 21:8-9 (NIV) The Lord said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." …Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.

Let’s imagine ourselves in this situation. Poisonous snakes have bitten everyone, and while we are not dead yet, the prospects do not look good. Suddenly a voice yells out: "We must do something. We must save ourselves!" But how? Various ideas surface such as: "If you run around in frantic activity it will work out the poison!" A few people try this, and die trying. Others, by staring at their bites, go totally berserk into a frenzy of panic. Alternately, some try to convince themselves that they are not bitten, or that the snakes were not poisonous, and form little groups to delude each other while dying. And here’s a person selling "snake oil" which purports to be an antitoxin, but makes people even worse.

Enter Moses who says, "If you look at the bronze snake that has been lifted up on this pole, you will live. If you do not, no matter what else you do, you will die." Now let’s really picture how we might react, having been given this revelation. "He must be kidding," we would think. "Do nothing? Just look? How insulting a solution! What part do we play in it?" Moses responds, "Cease your activities. Just look, and live!" Really now, if you had been there, would you have believed it? Do you believe God’s solution today?

John 3:14 (NIV) [Jesus:] "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up."

We all have been bitten, and sin is coursing through our veins. It will most certainly lead to death. There is only one solution, but it is an offense to our ability to save ourselves.

John 6:40a (NIV) "For my father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life."

John 6:29 (NIV) Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."

Quoted by Ken Ham from The Genesis answers magazine online:

www.answersingenesis.org

‘Do you know what these students are being taught in most of their classes? That they’re just animals that evolved ultimately from some primeval soup millions of years ago. They are being indoctrinated to believe that evolution is scientific fact. Growing up in a world full of wonderful technology, they have a great respect for real science. They don’t realize that evolution is not observable, repeatable science.

‘So to them, the Bible is just an outdated religious book. After all, they are taught how the solar system formed by itself from a dust cloud over millions of years, that the earth is billions of years old, and the fossil record is the history of the evolution of life. They are shown pictures of ape-men, considered to be their ancestors. In history, they hear of “primitive man” going through a stone age in this onward, upward evolutionary process.’

In other words, I explained to the pastors, day after day, class after class, even without the Bible being mentioned, these students were being inoculated against believing what the Bible has to say about our origins.

So I said:

‘Pastors, here’s the problem. The students know that evolution and its teachings contradicts the Bible’s teaching about Adam and Eve. Then they come to your religion classes and hear you teach from the Bible. However, since they think that the Bible is an outdated book which has been disproved by science, why should they be interested in listening to what you have to say?’

I suggested that before they could really teach effectively about the other issues, they needed to get the students’ attention that the Bible was the infallible Word of God, and really could be trusted.

After all, if the first book in the Bible can’t be trusted in their eyes—why should any other? As one lady put it to me 20 years later:

‘When my church told me that I had to accept evolution, and that Genesis couldn’t be believed as written, I asked, when does God start telling the truth, then?’

Working with the pastors, we devised a series of lessons that showed the students that evolution was just a belief—there weren’t any ape-men—evolutionists had not proved the earth was billions of years old—there were major problems with their theories about the origin of the solar system.

When the pastors presented these lessons—they were astonished. The students sat up and listened. They were extremely interested—and they had lots of questions. ‘What about carbon dating, then? Where do dinosaurs fit in? Why don’t our teachers tell us this information?’

What a difference it made! Many of the students showed intense interest in spiritual things. Later, when the pastors began teaching about Jesus in the New Testament, they had much more success in getting these young people to listen and take note.

At the time, I didn’t realize that I was involved in developing a method of evangelism that I later came to understand as ‘Creation Evangelism.’ Not only is this based on the Bible, but it is one of the most powerful methods for reaching today’s world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Quoted from Ken Ham, www.answersingenesis.org/creation

Those arguing against creation may not even be conscious of their most basic presupposition, one which excludes God a priori, namely naturalism/materialism (everything came from matter, there is no supernatural, no prior creative intelligence). The following two real-life examples highlight some problems with that assumption:

1. A young man approached me at a seminar and stated, ‘Well, I still believe in the big bang, and that we arrived here by chance random processes. I don’t believe in God.’ I answered him, ‘Well, then obviously your brain, and your thought processes, are also the product of randomness. So you don’t know whether it evolved the right way, or even what right would mean in that context. Young man, you don’t know if you’re making correct statements or even whether you’re asking me the right questions.’

The young man looked at me and blurted out, ‘What was that book you recommended?’ He finally realized that his belief undercut its own foundations —such ‘reasoning’ destroys the very basis for reason.

1. On another occasion, a man came to me after a seminar and said, ‘Actually, I’m an atheist. Because I don’t believe in God, I don’t believe in absolutes, so I recognize that I can’t even be sure of reality.’ I responded, ‘Then how do you know you’re really here making this statement?’ ‘Good point,’ he replied. ‘What point?’ I asked. The man looked at me, smiled, and said, ‘Maybe I should go home.’ I stated, ‘Maybe it won’t be there.’ ‘Good point,’ the man said. ‘What point?’ I replied.

This man certainly got the message. If there is no God, ultimately, philosophically, how can one talk about reality? How can one even rationally believe that there is such a thing as truth, let alone decide what it is?

Was asking myself this question today…here are some answers I found…

In our day and age, one of the most neglect topics and ill treated duties of the Christian Faith is Stewardship.  What does the Bible say about God and Money?  How good are you as a steward of God’s possessions.  The warning comes now: you will not like what you read in these articles because they reach into your savings accounts, wallets, purses and possessions.

The basic etymology of the word oijkono>mov, oikonomos meaning "steward," comes from two root words oikos (house) and nomos (law).  As if to say that the steward is one who is the “law over the house,” and all that is associated with the house.  He is given authority over the household but does not own the household.

The "steward, one who manages the affairs or superintends these household of another, as Eliezer of Damascus did that of Abraham (Genesis 15:2). Great confidence was reposed in those who held such an office, and hence Paul describes Christian ministers as the stewards of God over his Church and family (Titus 1:7). Believers also are described as stewards of God’s gifts and graces, to dispense the benefits of them to the world (1 Peter 4:10). Our Lord frequently uses the responsibility belonging to the office of steward, to illustrate His reasoning. In the parable of the shrewd manager, (Luke 16), the illustration is not encouraging the moral propriety of the manager’s actions, but merely advice to manage worldly goods with such liberty and generosity in a way that promotes the cause of true piety, Christian charity and enlightened love.

Luke 16: 8-13

"The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. 10"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?

13"No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."

Found this website interesting:

http://www.called2serve.org/3/connectw/god/callofgod.htm

Here are some excerpts:

4 Types of Call:

• The Call to Salvation . . . first and foremost a call to Jesus
  (Matt. 9:13, Mark 2:17, Luke 5:32, Acts 2:39, Romans 1:5-6, etc.).
  
• The Call to Holiness . . . also about a call TO Jesus, being IN Christ
  (Romans 12, 8:28-30).
  
• The Call to full-time vocational ministry . . . Consider how these people were called:

–Moses from a burning bush (Exodus 3).

–Joshua instructed by God (Joshua 1:1-9).

• The Call to a Specific Task . . .

• As you live out the spiritual disciplines and meditate on His Word, what is God saying?
• What passages of Scripture are creating warmth and flame in the depths of your heart in these days of decision?

• Do your natural, God-given abilities indicate a right fit?
• Has God brought a spiritual gift which has accented a right fit for a ministry decision?
• What training have you had, and do your learned skills point to a right fit?
• Are there assessments that you have taken which bring confirmation of "rightness?"
• What decision will best line up with your passions, values, and vision?
• What are you doing in ministry right now ? God’s calling is as much about the present as the future. Abundant life and ministry are for today, not just tomorrow.

• What circumstances might God be using to speak to you?
• What events might form a pattern of God’s leading?
• What are you observing in the events at school and home?
• What issues are your friends and coworkers wrestling with?

Loves Secret

- William Blake -

Never seek to tell thy love,
Love that never told can be;
For the gentle wind does move
Silently, invisibly.

I told my love, I told my love,
I told her all my heart;
Trembling, cold, in ghastly fears,
Ah! she did depart!

Soon as she was gone from me,
A traveler came by,
Silently, invisibly
He took her with a sigh.

— Blake is speaking clear english in this piece which is rare. He is saying that love can not be created with words. If it is to be, then it happens. No amount of briliance or language usage can suffice for God’s will.

More deeply he is showing the tragedy in the disillusionment that comes from being turned down or rejected by someone you think the world of. All his efforts to express his deepest feelings and his worship for this person was not enough.

The most tragic and punctuating part is the end which says despite his pain sorrow and best efforts to express his deepest love, he is not only rejected, but his lady settles for someone who doesn’t have much care for her at all.

This is a piece about the inability of man to create love and the irrelevence language has if it has no object. Language is only as beautiful as reality, and it is as tragic as reality too. The wisdom one can take from this is that we should not forget that language only expresses what is already there - it doesn’t create what one wishes to experience.

Lesson on Free Worship

2 Chronicles 5: 1-14

< 1 When all the work Solomon had done for the temple of the LORD was finished, he brought in the things his father David had dedicated—the silver and gold and all the furnishings—and he placed them in the treasuries of God’s temple.2 Then Solomon summoned to Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs of the Israelite families, to bring up the ark of the LORD’s covenant from Zion, the City of David. 3 And all the men of

Israel

came together to the king at the time of the festival in the seventh month. 4 When all the elders of

Israel

had arrived, the Levites took up the ark, 5 and they brought up the ark and the Tent of Meeting and all the sacred furnishings in it. The priests, who were Levites, carried them up; 6 and King Solomon and the entire assembly of

Israel

that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted.

7 The priests then brought the ark of the LORD’s covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the

Most Holy Place

, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim. 8 The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and covered the ark and its carrying poles. 9 These poles were so long that their ends, extending from the ark, could be seen from in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the

Holy Place

; and they are still there today. 10 There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of

Egypt

. 11 The priests then withdrew from the

Holy Place

. All the priests who were there had consecrated themselves, regardless of their divisions. 12 All the Levites who were musicians—Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and relatives—stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets. 13 The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang:

       "He is good;

       his love endures forever."Then the temple of the LORD was filled with a cloud, 14 and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the

temple

of

God

.>

Point 1:

The temple is prepared

- Our heart is dedicated to God

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

- Our lives and purposes are dedicated to God

Haggai 1: 1-7

1 In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of

Judah

, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest: 2 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "These people say, ‘The time has not yet come for the LORD’s house to be built.’ "

3 Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: 4 "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?" 5 Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. 6 You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it." 7 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways.

Point 2:

Preparation for the presence of God

- The ark contained the Word

- Prayer and atonement made by the sacrifice of animals

Today, we have both the Word in our hearts, and the ultimate sacrifice made by Christ. All the preparation has already been done; We can enter the Holy of Holies with confidence.

Hebrews 10: 15-22

15The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: 16"This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord.

   I will put my laws in their hearts,

      and I will write them on their minds."17Then he adds:

   "Their sins and lawless acts

      I will remember no more." 18And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin. 19Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

Point 3:

Worship in UNISON, in response to what God has done in our lives

– a new song; Together in one voice.

No rehearsal of what to say, but comes naturally what they declare from their hearts. All joining in, in one accord, flow together.

Psalm 33:3

Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.

Psalm 40:3

He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.

Psalm 98:1

[ A psalm. ] Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.

Psalm 144:9

I will sing a new song to you, O God; on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you,

Psalm 149:1

Praise the LORD. Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints.

Isaiah 42:10

[ Song of Praise to the Lord ] Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who live in them.

Revelation 5:9

And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.

Revelation 5:8-10 (in Context) Revelation 5 (Whole Chapter)

Ephesians 5:19

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,

Ephesians 5:18-20 (in Context) Ephesians 5 (Whole Chapter)

Colossians 3:16

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

Point 4:

The presence of God comes, we have reached our goal; priests do not have to perform service anymore.

Psalm 16:11
You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

These past few days have been quite a whirl wind…

On Monday, I was told that the University would not support an extension of my PhD submission date and wanted me to continue writing up as a non-emrolled student. This would mean that I lose my student Visa and would have to go back to Singapore almost immedately to finish writing up my thesis, and perhaps come back on a tourist visa. Even my immigration agent mentioned that I had not much choice and was better off only coming back to Melbourne in Jan 2008 on a tourist visa.

I was really crushed at the prospect of having to move around and relocate during this time of writing up. It got to a point where I felt challenged between just taking the easy route to go home and be well cared for at home and write up, or be faithful to my calling to be here inAustralia serving God - I had to trust God to provide someway if indeed I am meant to be here for His purpose.

I asked the church to pray for me during our corporate prayer time on Tuesday, and I received many ebcouraging verses from the bible from some of my brothers and sisters. The one that stood out eas Isaiah 54, which God had also spoken to me, and He used another brother to confirm the Word. I felt almost certain at that point that even though the ‘experts’ said there was no way, God would make the way.

Sure enough, when I called the Department of Immigration on Wednesday morning and explained my case, they told me that I simply needed a letter of verification from mysupervisor that I am still writing up, and they would extend my student Visa accordingly (for a small fee of course…)! Praise God! Was overjoyed by God’s providence. His goodness and favour is surely with me always