GAL 4:13–14 – But you know that it was because of a bodily illness that I preached the gospel to you the first time; and that which was a trial to you in my bodily condition you did not despise or loathe, but you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus Himself.
We see Paul revealing that he was bodily afflicted. Because of this affliction Paul remained at Galatia to father them in the faith. God allowed a bodily affliction to exist in this man of faith for a purpose: God wanted Paul to stay at Galatia, doing His will—the illness was used as a course-changer.
Did the Galatians look down on Paul for having this bodily affliction? Not at all. In fact, Paul commends them. For this bodily affliction was a burden to the Galatian church yet they
Read More »
One subject we touched on but did not complete was the topic of bodily affliction. Before completing the topic of affliction, it is needful to complete the topic of bodily affliction. May you find direction in your course after reading this topic.
First…for balance sake…the Holy Spirit does not always prompt you to even ask why—why am I sick—why have You not healed me yet? Sometimes you need to rest in the fact that He is Lord over your body and will manage your body as He sees fit. Otherwise, you may be disrupting the fruit of peace in your life, causing great stress and unrest. The season that you are ill may simply be a summer of affliction, yielding great fruit, that is, if you respond correctly.
I think that this “healing” controversy reveals the difference between those seeking a Spirit-led
Read More »
God reveals His will in affliction. It is in affliction we have revelation of our own pride. It is in affliction we see the old man, the natural man. It is in affliction we can appropriate, make relevant, and make applicable the truth of us being dead to sin and alive to God. Now, we can reckon ourselves dead to it. We can consider ourselves freed from the slavery of our own pride. Why? Because now we see it. If you can see it, you can walk in it. You are in Him, Whom all the fullness of the Godhead mightily dwells; you must see this fact, even as you see your own pride.
GALATIANS 6:8–9 – For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will
Read More »
Ezra 7:10 – For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD, and to practice {it,} and to teach {His} statutes and ordinances in Israel. (NAS)
When we become a mature nation of priests, we will follow the example of Ezra. Ezra was a priest and a scribe; he represents God’s desire to have an undefiled temple. Ezra became a law to the people of Israel and he ridded the land from abominations that were occurring. This is a type of the “Day of Atonement!”
Ezra 9:2-4 – “For they have taken some of their daughters {as wives} for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has intermingled with the peoples of the lands; indeed, the hands of the princes and the rulers have been foremost in this unfaithfulness.” And when I heard about this
Read More »
Ezra 4:1-2 – Now when the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the people of the exile were building a temple to the LORD God of Israel, they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ {households,} and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we, like you, seek your God; (NAS)
This is a familiar story, as we saw in Nehemiah’s building project, as soon as you start building then comes the enemy. Here we see a different strategy of the enemy: the enemy actually desires to labor WITH US. Why would the enemy want to build with us? To sow discord internally! The enemy knows that a little leaven will spoil the whole lump of dough. Therefore, God will now have to purge out the leaven. We have allowed those who said they sought God, to build with us.
Read More »
Ezra 3:1 - And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem.
At the beginning of the 7th month is the start of the feast of Tabernacles. It was a three-week special event. The first week is the week of trumpets, the second week, on the 10th day; we call the Day of Atonement. The third week we call the week of tabernacles or booths. How this feast ends is important. It ends with the solemn assembly–a day of perfect unity. It is symbolic of the culmination of God’s plan for His church–It is the day of the appearing of Jesus to gather us together unto Him. Our walls shall be fully built individually and corporately. Our temple shall be built, and our maturity shall
Read More »
1 Sam 12:14 – If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the LORD your God: But if ye will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall the hand of the LORD be against you, as it was against your fathers. Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the LORD, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking you a king. So Samuel called unto the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day:
Read More »
1 Sam 7:10 – And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel.
Purpose – The people respond to the enemy’s attack by calling on Samuel (clergy). God defeats the enemies of God’s people.
Six is the number for man and this thunder is to deal with men who are God’s enemies. God’s people call upon Samuel to help them. Samuel was their mediator; Samuel was their savior, just as Moses had been. The Philistines who represent the world system and the enemies of God’s people – were about to attack. This is a prophetic event that will be fulfilled in the last day. Samuel’s response was to sacrifice a Lamb
Read More »
Exod 20:18 – 5th Thunder – And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.
Purpose – God’s people respond to His glory by distancing themselves and putting Moses (a clergy) between them and God.
The 4th thunder was glorious, out of it came the law that became hid in Christ. However, tragedy strikes because the people refused God’s plan of removing the alienation, and restoring relationship with God and man. BECAUSE OF NAKEDNESS, they stand afar off. They see God’s glory and you would think that they would get as close as allowed; instead they stood afar off.
Exod 20:19-21 – And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak
Read More »
The purpose of this study, and the title itself, are intended to show how God would progressively move “from one tent to another” as He sought to lead His people into a higher relationship with Himself; and would then consummate His purposes by moving from the lowly “tent” to a glorious “Temple” as He took up His permanent habitation in the hearts of men. This had always been God’s plan, and the only reason He instituted and ordained previous temples was to provide for His people a place where they could draw nigh to Him, so that this place would become a “house of prayer” for all nations, and a means of grace whereby the inhabitants of the earth could discover the pathway to God until the greatest Temple of the ages would be revealed and manifested in the earth.
Read More »
cond coming: Preparation for His Second Appearing
I have just mentioned how it was when Jesus came the first time, that we might understand this very important principle—that in spite of the knowledge we might acquire concerning the Kingdom, we may have hearts that are very unlike the King—and therefore not ready for the Kingdom. I think there are many who know the Kingdom Message, who are caught up with the vision of Kingdom power and authority. . .and are still far from poverty of spirit, meekness, lowliness, humility, and a pure heart. If the Kingdom Message does not produce these virtues in His people, there is little value in the message. God would draw us to repentance, that He might beautify us with the garments of salvation, that we might be ready to stand before the King, and be compatible with
Read More »
God must have a Prepared People
Let us not have the idea that our High Priest in the heavens is filling in time while He waits for the signal to descend for His people and gather them to Himself. Can we not understand that He ascended into the Heavenly Sanctuary to accomplish a ministry in the heavens, even as He had faithfully finished the work the Father had given Him to do in the earth? By this I mean He is there as our Mediator of the New Covenant, to fulfill in His people all that He accomplished by His cross when He came to earth. As the Mediator of the New Covenant He will be faithful to minister the virtues of the New Covenant to His people, as surely as Moses was faithful to minister the Old Covenant to the House of
Read More »
What does the term prophetic mean in today’s church?
–John Robert Lucas
The word prophetic represents a prophetic-type message for today’s church. However, in my research I found that the term prophetic means different things to different Christians.
On the Temple Builders website I use the term probably more than I should, but I use it in hopes of attracting segments in the church who I think may be responsive to the Temple Builders message.
Webster says:
pro•phet•ic \pre-”fe-tik\ adjective
1 : of, relating to, or characteristic of a prophet or prophecy
2 : foretelling events : predictive
For a nutshell definition, Webster is not too far off. Simply put, if a minister has a message that is prophetic, they have the characteristic of a prophet. Normally we think of an Old Testament prophet that predicts the future. Thus, a large body of Christians define prophetic as futuristic ministry. End time prophecy fits nicely
Read More »
