In Mark, chapter three, we understand the ordination process of God, of how He appoints “overseers” among His people. It’s quite contrary to the typical ordination process based on the traditions of man;
“And He [Jesus] went up on the mountain and summoned [“to call to oneself”] those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach, and to have authority to cast out the demons.”
(Mark 3:13-15/NASU)
The KJV says, “And He ordained twelve…” It wasn’t until chapter six that the disciples would be sent out by Jesus and receive His authority. The first step in their calling was to simply answer the call and come near Him, to enter His presence. It was through their remaining near Him, by spending time with Him, “that He could send them out to preach, and to have authority to cast out the demons.”
No one volunteers for this place near Him. Jesus carefully selects out of the crowd of those who have been called, those whom He wants, or chooses. It is His choosing among the chosen, the selection among the select in Him. Even among the twelve we see that Peter, James and John were often with Him, by themselves, during significant events. Joseph, for example, was chosen as “the prince among his brothers” (Genesis 49:26). In His parable of the wedding feast, Jesus taught that “Many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:13; see my Bible study and book Many Are Called). I believe that within this inner circle among His disciples, and Joseph among his brothers, is a picture revealing the difference between His chosen Bride and the attendants.
The Men Of God’s Choosing
There was a time in Israel’s history, when Samuel was judging them, that they rejected God as being King over them. When Samuel was old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel. His sons, however, did not walk in his ways. Much like many of our current government officials, as well as some church leaders, they “turned aside after dishonest gain and took bribes and perverted justice.” (1 Samuel 8:1-3) Because of this, the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel, asking him to appoint a king for them like all the other nations. After their rejection of God’s warning of what a king would do to them, how he would make them serve him and his interests, the Lord then gave them what they chose. Saul became their king and would eventually be removed by God for rebelling against Him.
The Lord then sent Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint a king of His choosing. He commanded Samuel, saying, “You shall invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for Me the one whom I designate to you.” (1 Samuel 16:3) The Bible then gives the following account of what occurred next;
“When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, Surely the Lord's anointed is before Him.’ But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’”
(1 Samuel 16:6-7/NASU)
Seven sons passed in front of Samuel but none had been chosen by the Lord. It wasn’t until David, who wasn’t even there at that time but was tending sheep, was brought before Samuel that the Lord’s choice was revealed. When he stood before Samuel the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is he.” (1 Samuel 16:12) The Bible says, “Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward.” Like Joseph, David was the chosen one of the Lord among his brothers.
The Lord has a way of choosing the most “unlikely” candidates, at least in our eyes. In Christian circles today we often do as Samuel did. When choosing leaders in the church we have a tendency to look at human abilities, communication skills, and external appearance alone. Due to the lack of listening for the Lord’s choice, the church has been inundated with those who are led by the flesh. It has become a business modeled after the world, run by many C-level executives.
Among the traditions of man in the various denominations today we have the same self-serving practice of the sects that were in Jesus’ day, in particular the Pharisees. The only way to participate in one of their ordination processes is to go to their schools, thereby receiving their seal of approval with a piece of paper to hang on the wall. In so doing they lay their hands on you and transfer their authority, an authority that originates from themselves, qualifying you to be an “official” speaker among their congregations. It all wreaks of ecclesiastical arrogance, the likes of which Jesus and His disciples constantly faced in their day. Some things seem to never change.
Jesus, on the other hand, has a totally different process which He reveals to us in both the Old and New Testaments. In our passage from Mark, we see Jesus summoning “those whom He Himself wanted.” He still summons certain ones today, of His choosing, not ours. As with Israel in biblical times, we have replaced His ways with those of our own. The Lord declared through the prophet Isaiah, “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.’” (Isaiah 55:8-9/NASU)
In Acts we read of a time when the Lord chose certain men for a specific purpose;
“Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to Cyprus. When they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews; and they also had John as their helper.”
(Acts 13:1-5/NASU)
During a time when these followers of Christ “were ministering to the Lord and fasting,” the Holy Spirit spoke to them. It wasn’t some leader of a sect or denomination that lords it over others through their own useless traditions, but the Holy Spirit deciding who to set apart, or ordain unto Him. By the way, the word Pharisee literally means “one who is separated.” Obviously, they were separated by themselves for their own glory and power (i.e., self-glorification). David prayed, “How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods? Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself…” Psalm 4:2-3/NIV)
When true submission to the will of God occurs, Jesus, as the Head of His church will reveal His will and purpose for those whom He has chosen. Then, through the laying on of hands by those who are walking in obedience to Him, His authority is transferred on to them for their specific calling. In the traditions of men, the only thing transferred is the authority they lord over others within their own denomination, their own sect. As Jesus declared later in Mark to the Pharisees and scribes; “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition.” (Mark 7:9/NASU) These useless traditions of men have now leavened the majority of the church in America.
We see the process of God in the appointing/ordaining of certain ones among His people when Joshua was chosen by God to succeed Moses. The Bible says that Moses spoke to the Lord, saying;
“‘May the Lord, the God of the spirits of all mankind, appoint a man over this community to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the Lord's people will not be like sheep without a shepherd.’ So the Lord said to Moses, ‘Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand on him. Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence. Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him. He is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Urim before the Lord [see the Bible study Urim And Thummim]. At his command he and the entire community of the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will come in.’ Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly. Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned [“to command, to charge, to appoint, to ordain”] him, as the Lord instructed through Moses.”
(Numbers 27:15-23/NIV)
Again, you see the Lord choosing a man, not just any man but one in whom was the Spirit. In the laying on of his hands, Moses would place some of his authority from God on Joshua, commissioning him “as the Lord commanded him.” It is the authority of God which the church in America now has need of. The Lord will soon deal with this issue by removing those who have been placed in leadership per the will of man. He will soon reveal the hidden David’s who are after His heart.
The Days Of Our Beautification
After being chosen, the young ladies were required to go through a yearlong period known as “the days of their beautification.” The KJV interprets it as the “things for purification.” The Hebrew for “beautification” is defined as “a scouring, a scraping, a rubbing; literally, ‘The days of their (bodily) rubbings.’” It was this time period of preparation before entering into the king’s presence that the body of Christ is now in.
Spiritually, this purifying process is known as sanctification. It is the period when, after turning to Christ, the Holy Spirit begins to cleanse us on the inside so as to be made ready to enter the very presence of the Lord at His imminent return, and live (Hosea 6:1-3). The youth that are turning to Christ need guidance in this process from those in the body of Christ who have gone through this themselves. In this discipleship moment they will come alongside of them, as Mordecai did with Esther, helping them to prepare for the king’s return. Unfortunately, some will fight the restrictive process used to set us free from all that binds us. Instead, they will choose to jump the fence around God’s corral of discipline and scourging in exchange for the temporary fields of freedom in the flesh. It will cost them dearly in the end.
In my book The Final Healing, I wrote the following passage in chapter seven, The Scourging Of Shittim;
“…when the time for Israel’s crossing over the Jordan River into the Promised Land drew near, a signal was given. The specific procedure of the Lord, His way in, was revealed to them through Joshua. They were in a place called Shittim (pronounced “shit-teem”), which means “acacia trees.” As the last encampment of Israel before entering into Canaan, the Promised Land, it has great significance.
The acacia tree is known for its scourging thorns. I see within Israel’s stop here a hidden reference of God to the final scourging of His people before we cross over at the end of this age. Like the children of Israel, it is that which prepares us to take possession of that promised place with Jesus Christ.”
The final scourging of God’s people is now in process. Like Esther and all the young virgins around her, we have entered the days of our “beautification.” May we submit to the purifying process of the Holy Spirit so as to be a people made ready to enter the presence of our King.
The King’s Overseers
In Matthew’s account of Jesus’ instructions to His disciples he adds something that is quite significant to our discussion. He writes that Jesus said;
"Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.”
(Matthew 21:2-3/NASU)
Matthew adds that it wasn’t just the colt, but its mother that needed to be untied as well. I think that it needs to be pointed out first that the disciples obeyed what they had been told, at the possibility of being seen as a thief. If charged it would not have gone well for them. Obedience to God’s commands proves our faith, whether or not we will be a doer of His word or just a hearer. We can be reassured that, when acted upon by faith, what He says will be what it is.
By definition of the original Greek words, to be “tied” is “to bind, tie, fasten.” To “untie” is defined as “to loosen, undo, dissolve, unbind.” This unbinding and loosing of not only the young, but also those who will come alongside them is the purpose of the forerunner ministry. Per the Lord’s instructions, they are being sent ahead by the ordination of the Lord.
I think it’s interesting to see that while these are being loosed in Jesus’ name, some others will be bound and cast out of His presence. In Jesus’ parable of the wedding Feast, His wedding feast, “the king” came into the wedding hall to look over the guests. He saw a certain man there who had entered in without the proper wedding clothes. It appears the man thought that it didn’t matter what he was wearing, that it wouldn’t affect his receiving of an invitation, that he would be in no matter what. We are told that the king then said to his servants, his attendants, “Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 22:11-13) It was a serious offense to not take seriously what would be accepted as proper attire for the event. Jesus is revealing to us that it will be the same at the end of this age for His wedding feast.
There are those who have received His invitation (i.e., “accepted Christ”), but are not taking seriously the need to prepare per the King’s will. When speaking of the day of the Lord’s judgment on Judah, Zephaniah declared;
“Be silent before the Sovereign Lord, for the day of the Lord is near. The Lord has prepared a sacrifice; he has consecrated those he has invited. On the day of the Lord's sacrifice I will punish the princes and the king's sons and all those clad in foreign clothes.”
(Zephaniah 1:7-8/NIV)
We too, in the day of the Lord’s wrath at the end of this age, must be careful to not be dressed in “foreign clothes.” It’s through submission to the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit that we will be dressed in the spiritually clean garments of fine linen (Rev. 19:7-8).
Faithful Fathers And Mothers
Having never been ridden upon before, the presence of its mother, it seems, would help to have a calming effect upon the young colt. Similarly, the young Christians that will carry the presence of God at the end of this age will need older, mature brothers and sisters to come alongside of them to help guide them on the way. These “appointed overseers” are seen, in type, through Joshua and Caleb.
After spying out the Promised Land of the children of Israel’s inheritance with ten other spies who gave a bad report, Caleb said, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it.” (Numbers 13:30/NASU) He said this because he believed God and desired to do what He said, not allowing what he saw with his eyes to take away that which he heard from God.
The Lord would then say to Moses;
“Surely all the men who have seen My glory and My signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice, shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned Me see it. But My servant Caleb, because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land which he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it.”
(Numbers 14:22-24/NASU)
Joshua’s name transliterated from the Hebrew in the Old Testament, to the Greek in the New Testament is Jesus. Caleb’s name means “a dog, faithful, loyal.” He represents all those who are the faithful and loyal servants of God. Like “man’s best friend,” they are the Lord’s best friend. Together they represent the Lord and His faithful servants that will enter into the Promised Land of their eternal inheritance.
Caleb was the son of Jephunneh (yef-oon-neh') whose name means “he will be prepared,” or “he will be facing.” This is another characteristic of the Caleb spirit among the faithful of the Lord. They will be the prepared ones who remain facing God with undistracted devotion (1 Cor. 7:35). They will not turn away from Him with insulting neglect and unfaithfulness, thereby breaking covenant with Him.
They are the faithful servants of the Lord who will remain alive in the final judgment on earth. Like the spies who gave a bad report of that which God said was theirs for the taking, many will die in the wilderness on the way, falling short of the finish line, never possessing what they had been given the right through Christ to possess. As with the children of Israel, they will find that, without obedience, the promise alone isn’t enough for entering in. Without our “working together with Him” (2 Cor. 6:1) we receive His grace in vain, which means “to believe without reason or effect,” and perish along with all the other unbelievers (Luke 12:46).
Комментарии