Confronting the System
Confronting the System
Now how do you go about confronting the system? How do you tell them they are wrong? I made that mistake very early in my preaching career. People enjoyed my preaching. The other ministers appreciated my preaching. And we had another ministers conference, a spiritual one this time, and I was chosen to be the first speaker at this conference. There were two speakers. I was the first one. I was the chief speaker. Can you believe it? I was elected to be the chief speaker at this conference.
Ministers from all over the country had come and were gathered for this special meeting. We were going to have a lunch together afterwards. It was wonderful. I had the opportunity to stand up and share and to preach forth the Word of God. But I was stupid. I decided I would suggest something new. I thought I would preach against the system. Big mistake!
By the time I was finished preaching there was silence. People were trying to avoid looking at me. Nobody wanted to have anything to do with me. We came together for the meal afterwards and nobody wanted to sit next to me. Not one person came to me and said, "Good preach. That was a good message. That was a good teach. There were some interesting thoughts you brought up." No, not one.
The guy that came after me stood up and preached about Shepherding. At that time the Shepherding Movement was big. You know, the idea that the pastor is the be-all and the end-all, and he dominates and controls the flock? He tells them how to breathe and what to think, and what to have for breakfast. He tells them what their ministry is going to be. He orders and commands them to do the ministry. That was the teaching of the Shepherding Movement.
They ate it up, they gobbled it up, they patted him on the back and laughed at his jokes. They thought he was wonderful. But I wanted to crawl into a hole and die somewhere. I had made such a fool of myself I did not want to ever stand up and preach again. It took me years to get over it. And only in later years as I began to realize what God had actually called me to do, did I realize that back there already, without even knowing it, that draw of the apostolic call was in me already. I was already beginning to see the things that were wrong and that needed to be righted in the Body of Christ.
So what are we going to do? We are in the system, it is there. And there are varying degrees of it. There are some church organizations that are steeped in old fashioned traditionalism. Some of them do not even preach the gospel and it is all tradition. So you can see some of the traditional churches like the Catholics and the Anglicans and the Presbyterians. It sort of goes up as you look at the different stages of the Reformation.
You have the Reformed churches coming out, and you have the Anabaptist church coming out, and the Baptists. Then you have the mad Pentecostals. You have all these different groups and different levels of traditionalism in them. But they are all part of a system that is molded and controlled by the principles of this world.
Much Confrontation
There is going to be confrontation. There is going to be confrontation with the powers of darkness. There is going to be confrontation with the World System. There is going to be confrontation with the church system, the religious system of this world, which Satan himself heads. We have spoken about that in dealing with warfare concerning Satan's Chain of Command; how each of them heads up different parts; how there is the Pharaoh of this world, who controls the economies of this world and how Satan himself is the head of the religious system.
It is all part of the same system. You are going to have to confront the economic system of this world. You are going to have to confront the Pharaoh of this world, and you are going to have to confront the spiritual leader of this world, Satan himself. You are going to come against religious systems. You are going to come against denominationalism. You are going to come against everything that the visible status quo church is based on and stands for, because it is all in the clutches of the god of this world.
It is going to be a heavy job that God is calling you to. The mandate that God is giving you, apostle, is an awesome mandate. That is why it has taken so long for Him to prepare you for this task.
Confronting Pharaoh
Exodus 11:4-8 says,
"And Moses said, Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts. And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more. But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye [all of you] may know how that the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel. And all these thy servants shall come down unto Me, and bow down themselves unto Me, saying, Get Thee out, and all the people that follow Thee: and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger."
What a magnificent leader! What a powerful, strong leader! However, as we go back and are introduced to Moses as he first encounters the Lord upon the mountain that is not the leader that we see. You see, that is where Moses is headed - to that kind of boldness, that kind of authority and that kind of presence where he could stand up face to face with one of the strongest nations, against the king of one of the strongest nations, get up in his face and say, "Pharaoh, this is the way it is going to be! And don't you come and tell me that I will not come before your face anymore, because I am telling you. You will not come before my face anymore. This is what my God has said, and I will leave you in great anger."
Before this Pharaoh had said to Moses, "Get out of here! I will not see your face anymore."
Moses said, "You're right. You will not see my face again, but it is because of my choice!"
He stood up to such a powerful strong man who had so many armies behind him he could have taken Moses out instantly. It was a bit of a change wasn't it; from the Moses we saw on the mountain top when God first appeared to him through the burning bush? It is not instant, but that is where you are headed - that kind of boldness, courage and authority.
Confronting Pharaoh Within
Before Moses could stand up and confront the Pharaoh without he had to confront the Pharaoh within. This is what I want to look at now as we go on this journey. The greatest obstacle in Moses' way was not Pharaoh the king of the Egyptians. It was not the armies of Pharaoh. It was not the nations that would come against him. It was also not the Wilderness or what he would do once he got into the Wilderness. The greatest obstacle that stood between Moses and accomplishing his mandate was his fear. Once you can overcome your fear you can accomplish anything for the Kingdom of God.
We begin with Moses in the Wilderness. We have had a look at how Moses had gone through this entire preparation in the Wilderness and how he first encountered God on the mountain and came to know Him as a reality. Moses however had become comfortable. He had developed his family. He had a wife and a couple of sons. He was taking care of the sheep. He had come to a place of comfort where he said, "I can handle this. I have things in control."
Moses was very analytical. He liked things in control. He liked to have everything where he could have a good look at it, where he could structure it, and where he could say, "Okay, I get up at six in the morning, take the sheep out for a snack and then I break for lunch. Then I have a cup of tea."
He liked things in the order they were. It was structured. It was comfortable and felt pleasant for him. Moses didn't get bored doing the same thing day in and day out. He liked it this way. This was the way he enjoyed living his life. Then right in the middle of it the Lord blew it right out of the water! He appeared to him in the burning bush and said, "Hey Moses."
"Are you talking to me?"
"Yes you! It's time for change, Moses. No more comfort zone. No more just plodding along at your own pace. No more being in control of your life Moses. No more calling the shots and having a nice little structure. It's got to change. Everything must change!"
Total Change
When you come face to face with the Lord and when you have a divine encounter, you cannot go back to what you were. You cannot go back to being what you were. It is over. You can never go back. You have tasted something that is real. You have tasted something that has begun to satisfy a deep hunger in you. There is no turning back. There is no going back. From the first time that you encounter God upon the mountain you know it has changed.
"For it is impossible [Gk: 'Unable, i.e. weak (literally or figuratively); passive impossible:--could not do, impossible, impotent, not possible, weak'] for those who were ONCE enlightened [Gk: 'to shed rays, i.e. to shine or (transitive) to brighten up (literal or figurative):—enlighten, illuminate, (bring to, give) light, make to see'], and have tasted [Gk: 'to experience'] of the heavenly [SPIRITUAL] gift, and were made partakers [Gk: 'Participant, i.e. (as noun) a sharer; implication an associate:--fellow, partaker, partner'] of the Holy Ghost [Spirit], and have tasted ['to experience'] the good word of God, and the powers of the world [Gk: 'age'] to come, if they shall fall away [Gk: 'To fall aside, i.e. (figuratively) to apostatize:--fall away'], to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame." (Hebrews 6:4-6).
Even Paul said the same thing about his change on the road to Damascus.
"Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: but showed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance." (Acts 29:19-20).
You think, "I can't go back to what I was. I can't go back to just being ordinary and complacent and sitting in church every Sunday."
You have tasted something and the Lord is saying, "Well, do you want it?"
You have a choice. At this stage of the game you still have a choice. You can say, "Forget it. I'm not doing this thing!" Or you can step out and say, "Okay, what's the job?"
That is the valley of decision you are at right now. The Lord will never enforce His will on you. He is going to give you a choice. He will say, "Okay, it's up to you. What's it going to be?"
Are you going to go back to the Wilderness to your little sheep, be nice and comfortable and cozy, or are you going to get off your structure and control and everything you have become so comfortable with, and head out into something that you are not in control of, to something that has no structure and which you cannot see, smell, touch or hear. It is all still up in the air.
It sounds a bit like Abraham when the Lord came to him and said, "Abraham, head out there."
"Where Lord?"
"Get your feet moving! I'll tell you when you get there."
That has to mess with an analytical big time.
"No, but I have to have the whole picture here. If I'm going to be on this road I need to have it laid out for me. I need to know where the pieces fit into one another. I need to know what my responsibility is. I need to know how I'm going to carry out this responsibility, and I would like to know when I should be carrying it out. I need to know exactly which direction I'm headed in."
The Lord says, "Just get your feet moving. No more structure. No more control."
You see, He has to take away your strengths so that you are reliant on Him and Him alone. It is not a comfortable place to be in, but once you have been there for a couple of years you get pretty used to it. Get yourself geared. The structure and the control that you had has to go. From now on the Lord will be your structure and He will be your control, and He will reveal to you what He wills, when He wills and how He wills.
He will put the pieces together when He wants to put the pieces together. You are not in control of that anymore. You are not in control of your life anymore. The rules have just suddenly changed.
You have begun a journey. You have entered through a door and you cannot go back. You can never go back. You can try, but you couldn't go back to the Wilderness. You have tasted something more. You have seen that burning bush. You know there is something else out there.
And so Moses is confronted with God saying, "Moses, I'm sending you back to Egypt."
"What? Egypt?"
Plagues on Egypt
As Moses came into Egypt and Pharaoh refused point blank to let God's people go, Moses called down the judgments. He called down the plagues upon Egypt. And you know what? He dealt with every single thing that Egypt stood for. He attacked the economy of Egypt. He started at the Nile, which was at the very center of the economy, and he caused the Nile to turn to blood.
There is going to be judgments upon this world. I want to tell you, the judgment was not on the nation of Israel. The judgment was on Egypt. God had to judge Egypt. Why? So that the world would let the church go. Why? So that the church would let the world go! When the world gets uncomfortable enough you will want to get out of it. But while you are sitting in the lap of luxury enjoying what the world has to offer and you become reliant on that thing, then you are in a dangerous situation.
That is why God has prepared the apostle, by taking him through a time of lack, through a time of difficulty, through a time of financial stress. Why? So that he can suffer in poverty, because God does not want us to be blessed? No. So that the apostle can learn to survive without depending on the World System. So that the apostle can learn to take the spiritual principles, the power of the Spirit of God, the principles of the Word of God, and succeed and rule and reign in Christ in this world, and to overcome.
You wonder why you have been through such financial difficulties, apostle? You wonder why you have been to hell and back? Do you know why? Because you have learned to rely on the Lord and on His Word alone. You have not had to rely on the World System. And those that have sat relying on the World System, you try and pull them out into what God requires for them, and they are going to try and dig their heels in and say, "I am comfortable here. I like my career. I like my job. I like the World System."
Economic Shake Up
God is going to have to shake the World System. God is going to take the prosperous nations and He is going to shake them, and you are going to make it happen, apostle. You are going to make it happen. You are the one who is going to call the judgment down on Egypt. You are the one who is going to call down judgment upon the economy. That is a horrible thought, isn't it?
"If the dollar takes a dive we are all going to suffer."
No, only if you haven't learned to live in faith; only if you have not learned to live independent of circumstances, to live by the Word of God alone. There is good news coming, do not worry.
Inheriting from the Unjust
God said to Moses, "When My people come out of Egypt, the Egyptians are going to shower them with gifts and they are going to come out with an abundance."
The church is going to inherit the wealth of the world. There are so many Scriptures that speak about the unjust gathering up treasures and the just shall inherit them. It is going to happen.
"A good man [God, Christ, the apostles] leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just." (Proverbs 13:22).
"Go to now, ye [all of you] rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered [Gk: 'To rust down, i.e. corrode']; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire [cooked]. Ye [all of you rich men] have heaped treasure together FOR THE LAST DAYS. Behold, the hire [Gk: 'Pay for service (literal or figurative), good or bad:--hire, reward, wages'] of the laborers [God's people] who have reaped [those rewards] down your [the rich men's] fields [fields are sometimes symbolic for ministries/churches], which is of you [rich men] kept back BY FRAUD, [God's people] crieth: and the cries of them [God's people] which have reaped [their blessings] are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth [Gk: 'Armies; sabaoth (i.e. tsebaoth), a military epithet of God:--Sabaoth']. Ye [all of you rich men] have lived in pleasure on the earth [off God's people], and been wanton; ye [all of you rich men] have nourished your hearts [off God's people], as in a day of slaughter [of God's sheep]. Ye [all of you rich men] have condemned and killed the just [God's people]; and he [God's people] doth not resist you. Be patient therefore, brethren [God's people], unto the coming of the Lord." (James 5:1-7a).
"For God giveth to a man that is good in His sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner He giveth travail [Heb: 'employment or experience'], to gather and to heap up [riches], that he [the rich sinner] may give to him [God's people] that is good before God. This also is vanity [useless] and vexation of spirit ['chasing of the winds']." (Ecclesiastes 2:26).
"He that by usury [Heb: 'Interest on a debt:--oppression'] and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him [God's people] that will pity the poor. When the wicked rise, men hide themselves: but when they perish, the righteous [God's people] increase." (Proverbs 28:8 & 28).
"He [God] hath showed His people the power of His works, that He may give them [God's people] the heritage [Heb: 'Properly something inherited, i.e. (abstractly) occupancy, or (concretely) an heirloom; generally an estate, patrimony or portion:--heritage, to inherit, inheritance, possession'] of the heathen [the rich sinners, non-believers]." (Psalms 111:6).
"And it shall come to pass IN THAT DAY [the LAST DAY], that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbor, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbor. And Judah [God's people, the church--we [Gentiles] are the circumcision -- Phil. 3:3, which are the true inward Jew -- Rom. 2:28-29, the true 'Israel of God' -- Gal. 6:16] also shall fight at [NEW] Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance." (Zechariah 14:13-14).
"I will teach you by the hand [authority, power] of God: that which IS WITH the Almighty will I not conceal. Behold, all ye [all of you] yourselves have seen it; why then are ye [all of you] thus altogether vain [Heb: 'lead astray']? This is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage of oppressors, which they shall receive of the Almighty. If his [the wicked's] children be multiplied, it is for the sword [Word of God]: and his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread [the Word of God]. Those that remain of him [the rich wicked sinners] shall be buried in death [the Second Death--the Lake of Fire]: and his widows [harlot daughter churches] shall not weep. Though he [the rich wicked sinners] heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay; he [the rich wicked sinners] may prepare it, but the just [God's people] shall put it on, and the innocent [God's people] shall divide the silver." (Job 27:11-17).
"And I [GOD] will give this [God's] people favor in the sight of the Egyptians [the non-believers]: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye [ALL of you] go, ye [ALL of you] SHALL NOT GO EMPTY: but EVERY woman shall borrow of her neighbor, and of her that sojourneth [Heb: 'Properly to turn aside from the road (for a lodging or any other purpose), i.e. sojourn (as a guest)'] in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye [ALL of you] shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye [ALL of you] shall spoil the Egyptians." (Exodus 3:21-22).
It is going to happen right now in these end times. That is what the apostolic movement is going to bring. It is going to bring judgment upon the world, but it is going to bring blessing upon the church. And as the world enters into disarray and disorder and confusion, the church of the living God is going to rise up and claim the wealth of this world. The church of the living God is going to rise up and walk in prosperity and blessing and abundance. And God is going to transfer the wealth from the Egyptians to His people, who deserve it, so that they can enter into the Promised Land of blessing that He has for them.
You know what happened with Israel? They became the envy of the Egyptians. Do you know that? But today we see the church, and they are envying the world. They are envying the wealthy people of the world. And Christians are saying, "Oh, I wish I were rich like that guy, that ungodly man." They are envying the world.
I want to tell you, God turned it so around that when Israel left, some of the Egyptians followed. Did you know that? When Israel left it was not just Jews that marched out of Egypt. A whole pile of Egyptians went with them. They were not going to lose out on the blessings. They saw what these Jews had and thought, "Hey, I want to get in with the in crowd here. I'm not staying behind! Egypt's bankrupt. This guy brought plagues on every jolly thing we had to rely on. What do I want to stay here for? These guys have got all the wealth. Let's follow them."
The Bible says that there was a mixed multitude that left Egypt. It caused a lot of problems afterwards. God had to bring a separation, because the Egyptians brought their curses with them, and all their sin with them. It caused a lot of problems to the Israelites. I tell you what, the time is going to come when people are going to rush to the churches because they are poor, because the church is going to be wealthy, because the work of God is going to know how to reach out and tap into the resources of this world.
Now how do you go about confronting the system? How do you tell them they are wrong? I made that mistake very early in my preaching career. People enjoyed my preaching. The other ministers appreciated my preaching. And we had another ministers conference, a spiritual one this time, and I was chosen to be the first speaker at this conference. There were two speakers. I was the first one. I was the chief speaker. Can you believe it? I was elected to be the chief speaker at this conference.
Ministers from all over the country had come and were gathered for this special meeting. We were going to have a lunch together afterwards. It was wonderful. I had the opportunity to stand up and share and to preach forth the Word of God. But I was stupid. I decided I would suggest something new. I thought I would preach against the system. Big mistake!
By the time I was finished preaching there was silence. People were trying to avoid looking at me. Nobody wanted to have anything to do with me. We came together for the meal afterwards and nobody wanted to sit next to me. Not one person came to me and said, "Good preach. That was a good message. That was a good teach. There were some interesting thoughts you brought up." No, not one.
The guy that came after me stood up and preached about Shepherding. At that time the Shepherding Movement was big. You know, the idea that the pastor is the be-all and the end-all, and he dominates and controls the flock? He tells them how to breathe and what to think, and what to have for breakfast. He tells them what their ministry is going to be. He orders and commands them to do the ministry. That was the teaching of the Shepherding Movement.
They ate it up, they gobbled it up, they patted him on the back and laughed at his jokes. They thought he was wonderful. But I wanted to crawl into a hole and die somewhere. I had made such a fool of myself I did not want to ever stand up and preach again. It took me years to get over it. And only in later years as I began to realize what God had actually called me to do, did I realize that back there already, without even knowing it, that draw of the apostolic call was in me already. I was already beginning to see the things that were wrong and that needed to be righted in the Body of Christ.
So what are we going to do? We are in the system, it is there. And there are varying degrees of it. There are some church organizations that are steeped in old fashioned traditionalism. Some of them do not even preach the gospel and it is all tradition. So you can see some of the traditional churches like the Catholics and the Anglicans and the Presbyterians. It sort of goes up as you look at the different stages of the Reformation.
You have the Reformed churches coming out, and you have the Anabaptist church coming out, and the Baptists. Then you have the mad Pentecostals. You have all these different groups and different levels of traditionalism in them. But they are all part of a system that is molded and controlled by the principles of this world.
Much Confrontation
There is going to be confrontation. There is going to be confrontation with the powers of darkness. There is going to be confrontation with the World System. There is going to be confrontation with the church system, the religious system of this world, which Satan himself heads. We have spoken about that in dealing with warfare concerning Satan's Chain of Command; how each of them heads up different parts; how there is the Pharaoh of this world, who controls the economies of this world and how Satan himself is the head of the religious system.
It is all part of the same system. You are going to have to confront the economic system of this world. You are going to have to confront the Pharaoh of this world, and you are going to have to confront the spiritual leader of this world, Satan himself. You are going to come against religious systems. You are going to come against denominationalism. You are going to come against everything that the visible status quo church is based on and stands for, because it is all in the clutches of the god of this world.
It is going to be a heavy job that God is calling you to. The mandate that God is giving you, apostle, is an awesome mandate. That is why it has taken so long for Him to prepare you for this task.
Confronting Pharaoh
Exodus 11:4-8 says,
"And Moses said, Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts. And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more. But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye [all of you] may know how that the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel. And all these thy servants shall come down unto Me, and bow down themselves unto Me, saying, Get Thee out, and all the people that follow Thee: and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger."
What a magnificent leader! What a powerful, strong leader! However, as we go back and are introduced to Moses as he first encounters the Lord upon the mountain that is not the leader that we see. You see, that is where Moses is headed - to that kind of boldness, that kind of authority and that kind of presence where he could stand up face to face with one of the strongest nations, against the king of one of the strongest nations, get up in his face and say, "Pharaoh, this is the way it is going to be! And don't you come and tell me that I will not come before your face anymore, because I am telling you. You will not come before my face anymore. This is what my God has said, and I will leave you in great anger."
Before this Pharaoh had said to Moses, "Get out of here! I will not see your face anymore."
Moses said, "You're right. You will not see my face again, but it is because of my choice!"
He stood up to such a powerful strong man who had so many armies behind him he could have taken Moses out instantly. It was a bit of a change wasn't it; from the Moses we saw on the mountain top when God first appeared to him through the burning bush? It is not instant, but that is where you are headed - that kind of boldness, courage and authority.
Confronting Pharaoh Within
Before Moses could stand up and confront the Pharaoh without he had to confront the Pharaoh within. This is what I want to look at now as we go on this journey. The greatest obstacle in Moses' way was not Pharaoh the king of the Egyptians. It was not the armies of Pharaoh. It was not the nations that would come against him. It was also not the Wilderness or what he would do once he got into the Wilderness. The greatest obstacle that stood between Moses and accomplishing his mandate was his fear. Once you can overcome your fear you can accomplish anything for the Kingdom of God.
We begin with Moses in the Wilderness. We have had a look at how Moses had gone through this entire preparation in the Wilderness and how he first encountered God on the mountain and came to know Him as a reality. Moses however had become comfortable. He had developed his family. He had a wife and a couple of sons. He was taking care of the sheep. He had come to a place of comfort where he said, "I can handle this. I have things in control."
Moses was very analytical. He liked things in control. He liked to have everything where he could have a good look at it, where he could structure it, and where he could say, "Okay, I get up at six in the morning, take the sheep out for a snack and then I break for lunch. Then I have a cup of tea."
He liked things in the order they were. It was structured. It was comfortable and felt pleasant for him. Moses didn't get bored doing the same thing day in and day out. He liked it this way. This was the way he enjoyed living his life. Then right in the middle of it the Lord blew it right out of the water! He appeared to him in the burning bush and said, "Hey Moses."
"Are you talking to me?"
"Yes you! It's time for change, Moses. No more comfort zone. No more just plodding along at your own pace. No more being in control of your life Moses. No more calling the shots and having a nice little structure. It's got to change. Everything must change!"
Total Change
When you come face to face with the Lord and when you have a divine encounter, you cannot go back to what you were. You cannot go back to being what you were. It is over. You can never go back. You have tasted something that is real. You have tasted something that has begun to satisfy a deep hunger in you. There is no turning back. There is no going back. From the first time that you encounter God upon the mountain you know it has changed.
"For it is impossible [Gk: 'Unable, i.e. weak (literally or figuratively); passive impossible:--could not do, impossible, impotent, not possible, weak'] for those who were ONCE enlightened [Gk: 'to shed rays, i.e. to shine or (transitive) to brighten up (literal or figurative):—enlighten, illuminate, (bring to, give) light, make to see'], and have tasted [Gk: 'to experience'] of the heavenly [SPIRITUAL] gift, and were made partakers [Gk: 'Participant, i.e. (as noun) a sharer; implication an associate:--fellow, partaker, partner'] of the Holy Ghost [Spirit], and have tasted ['to experience'] the good word of God, and the powers of the world [Gk: 'age'] to come, if they shall fall away [Gk: 'To fall aside, i.e. (figuratively) to apostatize:--fall away'], to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame." (Hebrews 6:4-6).
Even Paul said the same thing about his change on the road to Damascus.
"Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: but showed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance." (Acts 29:19-20).
You think, "I can't go back to what I was. I can't go back to just being ordinary and complacent and sitting in church every Sunday."
You have tasted something and the Lord is saying, "Well, do you want it?"
You have a choice. At this stage of the game you still have a choice. You can say, "Forget it. I'm not doing this thing!" Or you can step out and say, "Okay, what's the job?"
That is the valley of decision you are at right now. The Lord will never enforce His will on you. He is going to give you a choice. He will say, "Okay, it's up to you. What's it going to be?"
Are you going to go back to the Wilderness to your little sheep, be nice and comfortable and cozy, or are you going to get off your structure and control and everything you have become so comfortable with, and head out into something that you are not in control of, to something that has no structure and which you cannot see, smell, touch or hear. It is all still up in the air.
It sounds a bit like Abraham when the Lord came to him and said, "Abraham, head out there."
"Where Lord?"
"Get your feet moving! I'll tell you when you get there."
That has to mess with an analytical big time.
"No, but I have to have the whole picture here. If I'm going to be on this road I need to have it laid out for me. I need to know where the pieces fit into one another. I need to know what my responsibility is. I need to know how I'm going to carry out this responsibility, and I would like to know when I should be carrying it out. I need to know exactly which direction I'm headed in."
The Lord says, "Just get your feet moving. No more structure. No more control."
You see, He has to take away your strengths so that you are reliant on Him and Him alone. It is not a comfortable place to be in, but once you have been there for a couple of years you get pretty used to it. Get yourself geared. The structure and the control that you had has to go. From now on the Lord will be your structure and He will be your control, and He will reveal to you what He wills, when He wills and how He wills.
He will put the pieces together when He wants to put the pieces together. You are not in control of that anymore. You are not in control of your life anymore. The rules have just suddenly changed.
You have begun a journey. You have entered through a door and you cannot go back. You can never go back. You can try, but you couldn't go back to the Wilderness. You have tasted something more. You have seen that burning bush. You know there is something else out there.
And so Moses is confronted with God saying, "Moses, I'm sending you back to Egypt."
"What? Egypt?"
Plagues on Egypt
As Moses came into Egypt and Pharaoh refused point blank to let God's people go, Moses called down the judgments. He called down the plagues upon Egypt. And you know what? He dealt with every single thing that Egypt stood for. He attacked the economy of Egypt. He started at the Nile, which was at the very center of the economy, and he caused the Nile to turn to blood.
There is going to be judgments upon this world. I want to tell you, the judgment was not on the nation of Israel. The judgment was on Egypt. God had to judge Egypt. Why? So that the world would let the church go. Why? So that the church would let the world go! When the world gets uncomfortable enough you will want to get out of it. But while you are sitting in the lap of luxury enjoying what the world has to offer and you become reliant on that thing, then you are in a dangerous situation.
That is why God has prepared the apostle, by taking him through a time of lack, through a time of difficulty, through a time of financial stress. Why? So that he can suffer in poverty, because God does not want us to be blessed? No. So that the apostle can learn to survive without depending on the World System. So that the apostle can learn to take the spiritual principles, the power of the Spirit of God, the principles of the Word of God, and succeed and rule and reign in Christ in this world, and to overcome.
You wonder why you have been through such financial difficulties, apostle? You wonder why you have been to hell and back? Do you know why? Because you have learned to rely on the Lord and on His Word alone. You have not had to rely on the World System. And those that have sat relying on the World System, you try and pull them out into what God requires for them, and they are going to try and dig their heels in and say, "I am comfortable here. I like my career. I like my job. I like the World System."
Economic Shake Up
God is going to have to shake the World System. God is going to take the prosperous nations and He is going to shake them, and you are going to make it happen, apostle. You are going to make it happen. You are the one who is going to call the judgment down on Egypt. You are the one who is going to call down judgment upon the economy. That is a horrible thought, isn't it?
"If the dollar takes a dive we are all going to suffer."
No, only if you haven't learned to live in faith; only if you have not learned to live independent of circumstances, to live by the Word of God alone. There is good news coming, do not worry.
Inheriting from the Unjust
God said to Moses, "When My people come out of Egypt, the Egyptians are going to shower them with gifts and they are going to come out with an abundance."
The church is going to inherit the wealth of the world. There are so many Scriptures that speak about the unjust gathering up treasures and the just shall inherit them. It is going to happen.
"A good man [God, Christ, the apostles] leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just." (Proverbs 13:22).
"Go to now, ye [all of you] rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered [Gk: 'To rust down, i.e. corrode']; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire [cooked]. Ye [all of you rich men] have heaped treasure together FOR THE LAST DAYS. Behold, the hire [Gk: 'Pay for service (literal or figurative), good or bad:--hire, reward, wages'] of the laborers [God's people] who have reaped [those rewards] down your [the rich men's] fields [fields are sometimes symbolic for ministries/churches], which is of you [rich men] kept back BY FRAUD, [God's people] crieth: and the cries of them [God's people] which have reaped [their blessings] are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth [Gk: 'Armies; sabaoth (i.e. tsebaoth), a military epithet of God:--Sabaoth']. Ye [all of you rich men] have lived in pleasure on the earth [off God's people], and been wanton; ye [all of you rich men] have nourished your hearts [off God's people], as in a day of slaughter [of God's sheep]. Ye [all of you rich men] have condemned and killed the just [God's people]; and he [God's people] doth not resist you. Be patient therefore, brethren [God's people], unto the coming of the Lord." (James 5:1-7a).
"For God giveth to a man that is good in His sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner He giveth travail [Heb: 'employment or experience'], to gather and to heap up [riches], that he [the rich sinner] may give to him [God's people] that is good before God. This also is vanity [useless] and vexation of spirit ['chasing of the winds']." (Ecclesiastes 2:26).
"He that by usury [Heb: 'Interest on a debt:--oppression'] and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him [God's people] that will pity the poor. When the wicked rise, men hide themselves: but when they perish, the righteous [God's people] increase." (Proverbs 28:8 & 28).
"He [God] hath showed His people the power of His works, that He may give them [God's people] the heritage [Heb: 'Properly something inherited, i.e. (abstractly) occupancy, or (concretely) an heirloom; generally an estate, patrimony or portion:--heritage, to inherit, inheritance, possession'] of the heathen [the rich sinners, non-believers]." (Psalms 111:6).
"And it shall come to pass IN THAT DAY [the LAST DAY], that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbor, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbor. And Judah [God's people, the church--we [Gentiles] are the circumcision -- Phil. 3:3, which are the true inward Jew -- Rom. 2:28-29, the true 'Israel of God' -- Gal. 6:16] also shall fight at [NEW] Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance." (Zechariah 14:13-14).
"I will teach you by the hand [authority, power] of God: that which IS WITH the Almighty will I not conceal. Behold, all ye [all of you] yourselves have seen it; why then are ye [all of you] thus altogether vain [Heb: 'lead astray']? This is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage of oppressors, which they shall receive of the Almighty. If his [the wicked's] children be multiplied, it is for the sword [Word of God]: and his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread [the Word of God]. Those that remain of him [the rich wicked sinners] shall be buried in death [the Second Death--the Lake of Fire]: and his widows [harlot daughter churches] shall not weep. Though he [the rich wicked sinners] heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay; he [the rich wicked sinners] may prepare it, but the just [God's people] shall put it on, and the innocent [God's people] shall divide the silver." (Job 27:11-17).
"And I [GOD] will give this [God's] people favor in the sight of the Egyptians [the non-believers]: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye [ALL of you] go, ye [ALL of you] SHALL NOT GO EMPTY: but EVERY woman shall borrow of her neighbor, and of her that sojourneth [Heb: 'Properly to turn aside from the road (for a lodging or any other purpose), i.e. sojourn (as a guest)'] in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye [ALL of you] shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye [ALL of you] shall spoil the Egyptians." (Exodus 3:21-22).
It is going to happen right now in these end times. That is what the apostolic movement is going to bring. It is going to bring judgment upon the world, but it is going to bring blessing upon the church. And as the world enters into disarray and disorder and confusion, the church of the living God is going to rise up and claim the wealth of this world. The church of the living God is going to rise up and walk in prosperity and blessing and abundance. And God is going to transfer the wealth from the Egyptians to His people, who deserve it, so that they can enter into the Promised Land of blessing that He has for them.
You know what happened with Israel? They became the envy of the Egyptians. Do you know that? But today we see the church, and they are envying the world. They are envying the wealthy people of the world. And Christians are saying, "Oh, I wish I were rich like that guy, that ungodly man." They are envying the world.
I want to tell you, God turned it so around that when Israel left, some of the Egyptians followed. Did you know that? When Israel left it was not just Jews that marched out of Egypt. A whole pile of Egyptians went with them. They were not going to lose out on the blessings. They saw what these Jews had and thought, "Hey, I want to get in with the in crowd here. I'm not staying behind! Egypt's bankrupt. This guy brought plagues on every jolly thing we had to rely on. What do I want to stay here for? These guys have got all the wealth. Let's follow them."
The Bible says that there was a mixed multitude that left Egypt. It caused a lot of problems afterwards. God had to bring a separation, because the Egyptians brought their curses with them, and all their sin with them. It caused a lot of problems to the Israelites. I tell you what, the time is going to come when people are going to rush to the churches because they are poor, because the church is going to be wealthy, because the work of God is going to know how to reach out and tap into the resources of this world.
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Permalink Reply by A.W. Bowman on
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Good words - well done!
Thank you.
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