THE MANTLE OF FIRE
(c) Morris E. Ruddick
Note: For more than two years I have been earnestly praying
into what defines biblical leadership; what it is that makes us
different from the world. Prayers like this tend to open the door
for not only fresh insights into God's word, but also encounters
and observations of ones who exemplify the standard and those
who have experienced stumbling.
The Kingdom standard indeed is higher; much higher with a
goal reserved for ones who have chosen the narrow path in
more than lip-service, but in their steadfastness to speak truth
in their own hearts and pay the cost in deed.
James admonishes not reach for the mantle of teacher, unless
that indeed is the calling, because teachers will be judged more
strictly. So it is with leaders. With my primary Romans 12
motivational gift being leadership, I take those admonitions
very seriously.
I have been uniquely blessed with the caliber of true Kingdom
leaders the Lord has allowed me to work alongside. In each
case, they have been unequivocal God-pleasers; for some at
a high cost. In each case, they have also been servants, despite
the level of authority their mantles reflect. It is with those thoughts
in mind, that in revisiting a post I sent out in 2011, that I saw
something more; and so reshaped, renamed and upgraded it
for this turn of the year; this turning prophetically that lies
before us all.
Morris
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"Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their
respective firepans, and after putting fire in them, placed
incense on it and offered strange fire before the LORD,
which He had not commanded them. And fire came out
from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and
they died before the LORD." Lev 10: 1-2 NASU
God's glory, operating through Moses, led the children of Israel
out of bondage and to the threshold of the Promised Land.
Having appeared to Moses in a burning bush, God's awesome,
holy presence has a long history of being evidenced with fire.
Likewise, from the pillar of fire by night to the demonstration of
the tongues of fire with the outpouring of the Spirit on the day of
Pentecost; the demonstration of fire has punctuated His power
accompanying a holy and pure mantle. Whether in deed or
worship, fire has long been linked to the activated holiness
of God's presence.
What took place with the sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu,
involved a short-circuiting of the process by which the glory
of the Lord was extended in blessing to the people.
The NKJV version describes what the NASU version
describes as strange fire, as profane fire. In short, it was
unauthorized and unholy. It undermined the process and
literally backfired on the ones who were trying to misapply
the power.
The intended purpose of the process is described in the
last sequence of Leviticus 9:
"Then Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and
blessed them, and he stepped down after making the
sin offering and the burnt offering and the peace offerings.
Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting. When they
came out and blessed the people, the glory of the LORD
appeared to all the people. Then fire came out from
before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and
the fat on the altar; and when all the people saw it, they
shouted and fell on their faces." Lev 9:22-24
God's glory demonstrated by fire can be directed toward
either blessing His people or releasing judgment. God's
glory is not to be trifled with or misused. Nor is it to be idly
modified. The presence and power of God is an awesome
thing. The fine line between extending blessing or releasing
judgment can be better discerned with a closer look at other
biblical examples and practices manifesting the glory and
presence of God.
Pure Demonstrations of His Presence
Elijah had more than a single instance whereby God's
power was demonstrated by fire. As Ahab allowed his
sorcery-wielding wife Jezebel to undermine Israel's heart
toward God, the heavens were shut up and there was
great famine (1 Kings 17:1; Luke 4:25).
Elijah's face-off with the forces of darkness dramatically
employed the power of God before the people. He first
released judgment and then blessing, with the drought
being ended, after he rebuilt the altar of God in the
prescribed manner (1 Kings 18:30); and "the hearts of
the people were turned back to the Lord."
Then 2 Kings 1 describes authority-encounters, answered
by fire, that consumed two captains of fifty and their men
who had been sent to bring Elijah to the king. Only when
the third captain of fifty humbled himself before Elijah
did the Angel of the Lord tell Elijah to forego further
judgment and to go with him.
A closer glimpse of the awesome significance of the fire
from heaven is captured in Elijah's final moment on the
earth. The powerful threshold into God's presence was
marked by a chariot of fire and horses of fire that separated
him from Elisha as he was taken up (2 Kings 2). Witnessing
Elijah being taken to heaven in a whirlwind, Elisha
described the chariot and horses of fire as the
Chariot of Israel.
It was later that Elisha had his own power encounter with
the armies of Syria that carried the demonstration of the
same chariots of fire. 2 Kings 6 describes those chariots
as surrounding Elisha.
Stewarding God's Power
It is noteworthy that two of the three temptations the
devil brought to Jesus involved the profane, misuse of
power: "Command that these stones be made bread"
and "throw yourself down, for it is written 'He will give
His angels charge over you.'" The third involved the
enticement of corrupt power: "All these things I will
give to you."
Each of these temptations was a profane, unauthorized
means to replicate and bypass the power that comes
from God's glory. They represented myopic, religious
defilements of God's power and counterfeits of both
the glory and the blessing.
The bottom line to this issue is the power of God and
its application. The misapplication will not only pervert
the pure power and undermine it, but eventually will
backfire on the ones who have presumed to design
their own process for the sacrifice; or who don't bear
the anointing and authority required; or both.
Before becoming the pure sacrifice that would bring
fulfillment to what was outlined by the law and the
prophets, Jesus gave his followers the sacrament of
communion. Communion is a New Covenant practice
paralleling the Leviticus 9 process to actuate the glory
that releases the blessing and power of God.
The Glory and the Blessing
In that context the Apostle Paul warns of taking the
sacrament of communion unworthily, noting that some
who have done so have fallen sick and even died (2 Cor 11).
Communion is a sober, humble time of drawing into
the Lord's presence. Its potency is strongly recognized
by those coming out of the occult before becoming
believers. It is a time of exchanging the defiled
for the pure.
The early church was known for its focus of teaching,
prayer, fellowship and communion (Acts 2:42).
Communion was a catalyst to the awesome power
released among the first century believers. The
impact of that power was described in Acts 5:
"Great fear came upon all the church and upon
all who heard these things."
As the community of early believers was being
mobilized and God's power released, the apostles
called for additional sacrifice from its members.
Within this setting, is the story of Ananias and
Sapphira. They trifled with and modified the sacrifice.
Their "sacrifice" was done through deceit for
wrong purposes: of gaining the recognition and
favor of the leaders. The profaneness of their
sacrifice touched the pure power of God and
like Nadab and Abihu, it backfired on them.
Today, the misapplication of the glory and
blessing suggests why, for so many within the
Body, that the power is either anemic or it backfires.
Applying Law of Christ
The proper application of the blessing was labeled
by Paul as the law of Christ (Gal 6:2), which he
described as "bearing one another's burdens."
The foundation of this dynamic is outlined in
Isaiah 53:4 and Matthew 8:17: "Surely He took
up our infirmities and carried our sorrows."
Paul wrote Timothy (2 Tim 3:5) to beware of those
who are caught up in themselves with a form of
godliness, but whose lives are a denial of its power.
Yet, those genuinely anointed to lead, whether as
priests, prophets or apostles will wield the glory and
blessing, often walking into the face of darkness
with a purity and authority that makes the
darkness flee.
"Build yourselves up in your most holy faith and
pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's
love; ...be merciful to those who doubt; snatch
others from the fire and save them; to others
show mercy, mixed with fear--hating even the
clothing stained by defiled flesh." Jude 20-23 NIV
Jesus penetrated the spiritual veil (Heb 6:19-20)
to embrace the pure power that scatters darkness.
This is the process restored. It is the demonstration
of the fullness actuated by Jesus' victory over death.
t has been passed to those anointed leaders
paying the cost to access the veil and fulfill the
law of Christ by destroying the works of the devil.
It's not an intellectual proposition, but rather the
means by which the power of the glory is to be
extended in blessing to the people. It is the
Kingdom that Jesus said would suffer violence,
with the persevering standing in the face of
darkness to take it by force. It is the piercing of
the veil that seizes and restores. It carries the
tangible potential that during the time of the early
church resulted in even non-believers "carrying
the sick out into the streets so that at least the
shadow of Peter might fall on some of them"
Acts 5:15.
The Fullness of the Process
Jesus embodied the process during His earthly
ministry as He set the captives free and destroyed
the works of the devil. His followers took up the
mantle as they were emptied and offered themselves
as pure vessels to take up the infirmities and carry
the sorrows. They took on themselves the anger,
fears, confusion, deceptions, deceit, disorder and
multitude of infirmities of those they encountered,
with the authority to reverse the bondages and to
loose the bonds of the captives.
"The multitudes with one accord heeded the things
spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles
which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud
voice, came out of many who were possessed; and
many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.
And there was great joy in that city." Acts 8:6-8
The same Philip the evangelist who performed the
miracles described in Acts 5 was sent by an angel
to an Ethiopian eunuch of great authority who was
pondering the truths in Isaiah 53 (Acts 8:26). When
Paul instructed Timothy in 2 Tim 3:16 that "ALL
scripture is inspired by God," it preceded the time
when his letters had been canonized; and was a
referral to the foundations of the faith evidenced
throughout the Old Covenant. Similarly, Jesus
punctuated the connection to these same truths
on the road to Emmaus.
"Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets,
He explained to them the things concerning Himself
in all the Scriptures." Luke 24:28 NASU
What followed was Jesus' resurrected unveiling
being fully recognized through the breaking of bread
(Luke 24:35). The narrow path outlined by Jesus,
along with the truths and miracles demonstrated
throughout the book of Acts have the same pivotal
foundation of God's glory and power that was
demonstrated by fire in Leviticus 9. So it was during
he days of the early Church that the impact of the
undefiled glory, extended in blessing, resulted in
"believers increasingly being added to the Lord,
multitudes of both men and women." Acts 5:14
The Pure Fire of Glory and Power
Strange fire results from polluting the pure. Jesus
warned of strange fire through the parable of the
tares. When attempting to mix the impure with the
pure, it backfires.
Pure fire is the most potent catalyst to the release
of the blessing and power of God. It is also the
most powerful response to encounters with
aggressive strongholds, and actuates the release
of judgment. However, strange fire results when
the pure process is modified or defiled with
a replacement.
Strange fire and replacement of the purity of
God's process has been at the core of the enemy's
strategy from the beginning. The pure was defiled
by eating the forbidden fruit in the garden. Similarly,
the pure process was corrupted by the sons of
Aaron, just as the profane was added by Ananias
and Sapphira. The defilement of the pure was
reflected by the Hellenization of the Gospel, the
expungement of the Jewish roots to the faith by
Constantine; and in each instance whereby the
precepts of men employed the seductive use of
strange fire that impeded entrance within the veil.
It is within the veil that the pure fire is released.
The times demand not just the pure fire, but the
restoration of the holy process without the polluted
add-ons. Daniel noted that in the time of the end
many would be purified and refined, but that
wickedness would increase and abound. The
times upon us are bordering between the times
of sorrow spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 24 and
the times of the end described by Daniel.
Wickedness is on the increase and abounding.
A recent dream received by a respected ministry
associate showed three gargoyles; one with its
hands over its ears, another with its hands over
its eyes and the third with its hands over its mouth.
From the pit has been released an assault of
spiritual deafness, spiritual blindness and a
perversion of spiritual authority.
High-level religious spirits wielding deception and
confusion have been planting disorder and division
(James 3:16) among the very elect. The cleverness
of the clever will fall short. It is the time Jesus
described (Matt 24) in which "many will be offended
and betray one another; false prophets will arise
and deceive many; and because lawlessness will
abound, the love of many will grow cold."
The Unstoppable Dynamic
The early church was seen by the world as "those
who are turning the world upside down." Their
faith-response involved sacrifice and, as a people,
THEY became the catalysts to releasing the Glory
and Power. There's nothing to compare with that
complete exchange of His life for ours, within
community, to actuate the maturity spoken of by
Paul to the Ephesians.
True spiritual maturity in leadership is evidenced
by those who take responsibility beyond their selves,
face the fire, and penetrate the veil to reverse the
bondages. The full knowledge of the Lord (Eph 4)
is not a head-thing or the resolution of all our
soulish issues; but rather an operational decision.
That doesn't come from a Sunday-go-to meeting,
adapted to-the-world orientation. It demands a pure
Kingdom mind-set and identity; by which we live by
dying, our weaknesses become the seedbed for His
strength, we advance by yielding and lead by serving,
we bless our enemies, wisdom comes from simplicity,
our purpose in life comes from giving it up, honor flows
from humility and growth results from proactive
generosity. Jesus raised the bar.
We are in a time in which the wisdom and power that
flowed in the early church is being restored. Those
wielding the mantle of pure fire will pierce the extremes
of darkness with God's glory and power. The pure fire
has always been tied to God's presence and the
consumption of darkness in its wake. The word to
the church for this day is to reach for the fire,
the pure fire.
"If you have run with footmen and they have wearied
you, then how will you contend with horses? If in the
land of peace in which you trusted, they wearied you
then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan?"
Jer 12:5
"For the accuser of our brethren, who accused them
before God day and night, has been cast down. And
they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the
word of their testimony, and they loved not their
lives to the death." Rev 12:10-11
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Morris Ruddick has been a forerunner and spokesman
for the call of God in the marketplace since the mid-90s.
As founder of Global Initiatives Foundation and designer
of the God's Economy Entrepreneurial Equippers Program,
Mr. Ruddick imparts hope and equips economic
community builders where God's light is dim in both the
Western and non-Western world.
He is author of "The Joseph-Daniel Calling;"
"Gods Economy, Israel and the Nations;"
"The Heart of a King;" "Something More;" and
"Righteous Power in a Corrupt World," which
address the mobilization of business and governmental
leaders called to impact their communities with God's
blessings. They are available in print and e-versions
from www.Amazon.com, www.BarnesandNoble.com
and other popular outlets.
Global Initiatives Foundation (www.strategic-initiatives.org)
is a tax-exempt 501 (c) 3 non-profit whose efforts are enabled
by the generosity of a remnant of faithful friends and
contributors whose vision aligns with God's heart to
mobilize the persecuted church to be the head and not
the tail. Checks on US banks should be made out to
Global Initiatives and mailed to
PO Box 370291, Denver CO 80237
or email us at sign@strategicintercession.org
for access information on our secure web-site.
Likewise, email us to schedule a briefing for your
congregation on the state of the persecuted church
and how you can more effectively pray for them.
2014 Copyright Morris Ruddick - sign@strategicintercession.org
Reproduction is prohibited unless permission is
given by a SIGN advisor. Since 1996, the Strategic
Intercession Global Network (SIGN) has mobilized
prophetic intercessors and leaders committed to
targeting strategic-level issues impacting the Body
on a global basis. For previous posts or more
information on SIGN, check:
http://www.strategicintercession.org
Morris Ruddick
Global Initiatives Foundation
www.strategic-initiatives.org
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