Standing in support of Israel, Jews, and believers in all the nations, in the name of Jesus (Yeshua). Sharing biblical truth, encouragement, news and prophecy.
See that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-16
One of the definitions of redeem is to fulfill. Another is to recover or take back.
Jesus said that Jerusalem would be trodden down by the Gentiles (nations), until the times of the Gentiles were fulfilled (see Luke 21:24). Obviously, the time that other nations controlled Jerusalem ended during the Six Day War in June of 1967, when Israel took back the old city of Jerusalem from Jordan. After hundreds of years, the ancient Biblical capital of Israel was once again under Israeli control.
This happened suddenly, just as did the rebirth of the nation of Israel in 1948, which I believe signified an acceleration of time, speeding us toward the fulfillment of many Bible prophecies.
These events took place during the same time period as the Charismatic Movement, which sped the Church toward its destiny, found in Paul's letter to the Church at Ephesus:
That he [Jesus] might sanctify and cleanse it [the Church] with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or an such thing: but that it should be holy and without blemish. Ephesians 5:26-27
Reintroduction of the Baptism with the Holy Spirit
The baptism with the Holy Spirit had been reintroduced to the Church around the mid-nineteenth century with the Welsh Revival of 1859. In 1904 believers in Wales were praying for another revival like the one in 1859. God answered their prayers by raising up a 26 year old coal miner, Evan Roberts, to spearhead a revival that lasted for over two years in Wales, which impacted not only the Church in Wales but society as well.
Then, by the time the Welsh Revival was winding down the Azusa Street Revival began in Los Angeles, California. Out of the Azusa Street Revival came Pentecostal denominations still in existence today.
However, the Charismatic Movement of the mid-twentieth century crossed all denominational boundaries, with Christians of all persuasions receiving the baptism with the Holy Spirit.
Initially, the baptism with the Spirit was accompanied by another baptism, which I think is often, if not most of the time overlooked: the baptism with fire.
I [John] indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire. Matthew 3:11 (see also Luke 3:16)
The baptism with fire often translates in our lives as tests and trials (tribulation), designed to separate the dross from the gold within us, enabling us to not only operate in the gifts of the Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 12:8-10), but to possess the fruit of the Spirit as well (see Galatians 5:22-23).
It seems to me we have majored in the gifts of the Spirit and minored in the fruit of the Spirit for the most part during and since the Charismatic Movement.
Dying to Self
Since the beginning of this new day (millennium/see 2 Peter 3:8) on the timeline of history, God has been dealing rather severely with a remnant of believers, causing in them a more complete dying to self than experienced in the past.
This dying to self, brought about by suffering intense and severe tests and trials, is enabling those of this remnant to experience the fruit of the Spirit, better equipping them to operate in the gifts of the Spirit.
If you are part of this remnant, you know exactly what I am talking about. If not, you may be scratching your head about now, thinking I am going off on some tangent that is unnecessary.
But I can assure you, I am not only speaking of revealed knowledge I have received as I have studied the scriptures and formed doctrines of truth, I am speaking from experience.
Having been subjected to intense and severe tests and trials that literally lasted for years in my life, God has reduced me to nothing, so He can mold and make me into something that He can now use to redeem the time.
And, He has and continues to connect me with others of this remnant, positioning us as a first fruits company of many more to come, and as a corporate prophetic voice declaring that which is to come; a redemption of time unlike anything the Church or the world has ever known.
It appears that the last 6000 years of the history of mankind, and more specifically the last 2000 years of Church history, have been preparing and positioning us for the redemption of time we are now beginning to experience as we enter this new day (millennium), which is the seventh day of/since creation and the third day of the Church.
Jesus prophesied of this day when He said:
Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. Luke 13:32
The Third Day
Many think Jesus was prophesying His resurrection when He made this statement. But Jesus didn't walk out of the tomb with a perfected body. He still had the scars of the crucifixion in His body.
Rather, He was prophesying the third day (millennium) of the Church, when His body, the Body of Christ, will be perfected.
During this third day, a great acceleration of time will occur, causing a snowball effect of all the preparation and positioning that has taken place since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden 6000 years ago. That acceleration began with the birth of the Church 2000 years ago but will greatly increase during this third day of the Church.
Since the beginning of this millennium, a remnant has been experiencing this acceleration, but the Lord has been saying to me that 2017 will be a year of even greater acceleration, when many more will follow the remnant and begin to experience the redemption of time in their individual lives, greatly accelerating the redemption of time in the corporate Church, propelling the nations toward their destiny, which is Revelation 11:15:
The kingdoms [nations] of this world are become the kingdoms [Kingdom] of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever.
Hillsong Church London holds four services, attended by 8,000 people, every Sunday at the Dominion Theatre. (Photo courtesy of Hillsong Church London)
Why These Closing Churches Are Fueling the Charismatic Movement
Join us on our podcast each weekday for an interesting story, well told, from Charisma News. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.
Church closings are nothing new in Britain.
In the past six years, 168 Church of England churches have closed, along with 500 Methodist and 100 Roman Catholic churches.
"Christianity in Britain has seen a relentless decline for over 100 years," says Linda Woodhead, a sociologist at Lancaster University.
Visitors to Britain are often shocked when they see the state of some of this nation's once-proud church buildings.
But for every Anglican church that has closed over the past six years, more than three Pentecostal or charismatic churches have taken their place, according to an analysis by The Times of London.
These Pentecostal and charismatic churches are drawing young, black, Asian and mixed-race people.
Pentecostalism is one of the fastest-growing movements in world Christendom, with an estimated 500 million followers.
"A century ago the face of European Christianity could have been labeled as white, but now it is increasingly becoming multicolored," said Israel Olofinjana, a Nigerian-born minister in London told the Times.
While aging Church of England congregations decline, charismatic churches thrive.
Hillsong Church London holds four services, attended by 8,000 people, every Sunday at the Dominion Theatre.
"It feels like God's nightclub, with love songs to Jesus," said one young African after attending an evening service.
Christians from Eastern Europe, especially Poland, where Catholic roots run deep, are among the participants. And their enthusiasm is contagious.
"There's been a seismic shift," said Robert Beckford, a professor of theology at Canterbury Christ Church University. "Christianity in Britain has become much more ethnically diverse as a result of migration from West Africa, Eastern Europe and, to a degree, Latin America."
Elizabeth Oldfield, director at Theos, one of England's leading think tanks, told The Times: "Church structures have to take immigration much more seriously. They're having to listen to people on the ground that are joining the churches in quite large numbers, speaking a different language, perhaps coming from different forms of worship and working to bring change. It is shaking the church up."
The Pentecostal growth is bringing renewed hope to many.
"I am optimistic that we will see this nation come back to God," said Pastor Agu Irukwu of the Redeemed Christian Church of God. The group, founded in Nigeria, now has 600 congregations across England.
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The Charismatic Renewal began less than 10 years before Charisma first published in 1975. In fact, we get the name Charismatic Renewal from the Catholics who, when they received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and later at Notre Dame in South Bend, were called "neo-Pentecostals."
Apparently someone didn't like that term and, so, they referred to the movement as "renewal" of the charismata, which, in Greek, means gifts in the plural. So, Charismatic comes from the word charismata rather than the word charisma (which is the singular form).
The name stuck, and now most Pentecostals use it interchangeably with the word Pentecostal.
The Catholics who experienced God's power believe that it was an outgrowth of when Pope John XXIII invited "a new Pentecost" at Vatican II in 1962. Few things have changed the Catholic Church as much in our lifetime as the Charismatic Renewal. By 2013, according to Catholic World Report, some 160 million worldwide had received the experience called the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, which almost always accompanied a renewed love for Christ and fervency about serving God and serving the church.
The Catholics always saw their movement as "ecumenical," and they interacted with the Protestant charismatics and Pentecostals on the basis that the Pope had encouraged ecumenical dialogue.
In fact, I have had some people tell me that while top denominational leaders engage in ecumenical talks with other leaders, the only real grass-roots ecumenical movement in the world is the charismatic renewal.
As time passed, it seemed that Catholic charismatics became more Catholic and less charismatic. I could be wrong, but I have had some friends who have expressed that opinion to me, and that has been my observation. The huge conferences Catholic charismatics held back in that era are no more and the smaller conferences that are still held have a relatively low profile. No real large parachurch-type ministries have emerged like in the Protestant charismatic movement. For example, there are no large parachurch television ministries and so forth.
This is not to say that the Spirit is not at work or that the Catholic charismatic movement has dwindled or died. In a way, that notion somewhat parallels Full Gospel Businessmen, which has declined a great deal in the United States but taken off worldwide. The same thing holds true for the charismatic movement in the Catholic Church.
Bert Ghezzi, a graduate student who came from the Pittsburgh area but was studying at Notre Dame, worked as one of my editors for a number of years. During this era, he may have been the link between Pittsburgh and Notre Dame. Much of what I know about the charismatic movement I know from Bert and my interaction with him. He did a great job as an editor and is one of the most ecumenical people I've ever known. He retired a number of years ago and I still miss him.
Bert recently made these observations to me in an email about the Catholic Charismatic Renewal:
"The Catholic Charismatic Renewal has slowed in the U.S., but continues to grow in Latin America. It slowed when bishops tended to make prayer groups into parish organizations (instead of the freewheeling groups of the early days). ... Observe that many Catholic Charismatics have followed the leadings of the Spirit into a wide variety of services: caring for the poor, religious education of the young and adults, evangelization and so on. Although EWTN is not a charismatic network, it began with Mother Angelica, a charismatic nun, and is now a worldwide media conglomerate."
You can check out Bert's blog titled, "Praying in the Spirit" at bertghezzi.com.
I would be interested in feedback from Catholic charismatics who read this to see if you agree with my observations. Also, please check out the links to the articles that we're publishing. I believe you will enjoy reading them and reminiscing. I also think they are still interesting and pertinent after all these years.
Steve Strangis the founder and publisher of Charisma. Follow him on Twitter @sstrang or Facebook (stephenestrang).
Prophetic ministry can empower or destroy the church. (Lightstock )
Note: This article ran in the November 1990 issue of Charisma.
Where are the prophets? In every quarter of the church today we hear that question ringing. Not only in charismatic and Pentecostal churches, but even in the old mainline denominations, Christians are experiencing prophetic ministry, acknowledging prophetic ministers and wondering where the Holy Spirit is headed in these closing years of the 20th century.
I believe that we are actually in the midst of a divinely ordained move of God—what many are calling the prophetic movement. The Holy Spirit has designed this movement to bring full recognition, restoration and activation of prophets and prophetic ministry—within church ministry and structure. The current move of God is in fact an extension of earlier restoration movements throughout the last 500 years that have brought back to the church a number of truths and spiritual experiences that had previously been neglected—in particular, the Protestant, Holiness, Pentecostal and charismatic movements.
Each of these great restoration movements has been more powerful and gained a greater potential for salvation, or self-destruction, than the one before. The process is like the progressive invention of modern warfare weapons, from gunpowder to dynamite to nitroglycerin to nuclear bombs. As the latest and most powerful force and spiritual weapon of warfare being brought forth in the church, the prophetic movement has the most potential for blessing or destruction of any restoration movement during the last five centuries.
If nuclear or laser weapons were to fall into the hands of unprincipled, self-centered terrorists, they would have no scruples about using this power to destroy many lives in furthering their own selfish ends. They would use these weapons to intimidate, manipulate and control people to build their own dictatorial kingdom. In the same way, if a prophetic minister does not have Christ's character, biblical principles of operation, and a right spirit and motivation, he or she has the potential to control and manipulate people with supernatural knowledge, visions, revelations and miracles. False prophets, wrongly motivated ministers and immature believers misusing prophetic ministry can cause great destruction.
On the other hand, with the right character and spirit, prophetic ministers have great power to influence people for God toward unity, obedience, humility and Christlikeness. Thus prophetic ministry can bring life or death, blessing or blasting. Like atomic or laser power, the prophetic can be used for good or evil.
Swings in the Pendulum
When truth is in the process of being restored to the church, it usually swings extremely to the right, then to the left. At last it finally hangs straight with a balanced message, like the pendulum of a grandfather clock, in the middle of the two extremes.
Those who are stuck out on the extreme left become cultic in their doctrines and practices. Those who don't make it back from the extreme right become an exclusive group who separate themselves from the rest of the body of Christ. In between is the group that brings itself together from both extremes to maintain a balance of wisdom and maturity in proper biblical doctrine and practice as God originally intended it to be restored to the church.
At the same time, the "balanced" group may become so protective of the truth and so reactionary toward the extremists that they keep the original form—yet lose the flow of the Holy Spirit. They may keep the purity of the doctrine yet lose the fresh anointing that restored those truths. They may maintain the proper preaching and practices yet lose God's mighty presence and power that originally accompanied the ministry.
Sad to say, church history reveals that this "balanced" group usually becomes the main persecutors of the next restorational movement of the Holy Spirit. They establish "wineskins" of doctrinal limitations with regard to what, when, where, who and how the truth can be ministered. Their wineskins become dry and set with such limitations that they cannot receive the new wine of restored truth that adds new dimensions to the church.
For that reason, we must keep our wineskins flexible so that we can go from movement to movement of the Holy Spirit, incorporating into our personal lives and our churches all that God wants to restore to His church (2 Cor. 3:18). At the same time, we must not become vulnerable to extremism and fanaticism. As the apostle Peter declared, we must continually "be established in the present truth" without forsaking any of the truths and practices that have already been restored (2 Pet. 1:12). Jesus said that a wise scribe is one who brings out of his treasure chest treasures both old and new (Matt. 13:52).
The true apostles and prophets called to pioneer the prophetic movement will do all they can to maintain balance and to keep prophetic ministers from doing foolish things that bring reproach and disgrace upon the movement as a whole. But none of the past restoration movements were able to prevent abuses and extremes totally, and neither will we be able to do so.
In the Protestant Reformation, for example, some groups reacting to Catholic control became extremely lawless. In the Holiness movement, some extremists succumbed to the bondage of legalism. Among the early Pentecostals, some went so far as to teach that speaking in tongues was necessary for salvation. And most of us are familiar with the past charismatic extremes in demonology, discipleship and prosperity teaching.
Every movement will manifest some people who are biblically uneducated and who never become birthed in the present truth. There will always be those emotionally unstable and spiritually immature people who cannot handle the truth and thus exhibit weird behavior. And there will always be charlatans, false ministers and others who are wrongly motivated, looking for an opportunity to promote themselves and to profit from the movement.
Abuses to Avoid
As with every move of God, the prophetic movement will produce its share of abuses when people carry it too far or totally misapply the truths God is restoring. God's Spirit is pure and restores unadulterated truth and ministry, but such truth and ministry are poured into earthen vessels that can be faulty (2 Cor. 4:7). So I want to raise a warning against perverting the truths being restored or using them for personal gain or for other ungodly purposes.
I believe that several specific cautions are necessary at this point as Christians seek to maintain integrity and balance in the prophetic movement:
Overemphasis on personal prophecy. Some Christians will think they need a "word from the Lord" to make every major and minor decision. They will no longer depend on their personal convictions, the Holy Spirit's leadings, or pastoral counsel and wisdom to walk daily before the Lord. In some lives, personal prophecy will replace personal prayer and hearing from God for oneself.
This is not of the Lord. Personal prophecy has a valid place in the church and in the lives of individual Christians, but it was never intended to be a "quick fix" or a replacement for seeking God.
Elevating prophecy to the level of Scripture. Another form that abuse will take is an elevation of contemporary prophecy to the same level of authority and inspiration as the written Word of God, causing cultic groups who esteem prophetic utterance as Scripture. All orthodox Christians, however, believe that the Scriptures are complete and sufficient, and will reject all extrabiblical revelation claiming authority equal to the Bible,
Ministering out from under authority. Some Christians will begin to prophesy in places other than those their church leadership has sanctioned as appropriate. I call these "parking lot prophecies," in which people draw others outside of meetings to prophesy strange things to them.
I believe it's critical that all prophecies be given only under spiritual oversight, and also that they be tape-recorded. This allows the local eldership to adjust or correct any words that are false, wrongly applied or untimely, thus saving, the person who is receiving the prophecy from confusion or misunderstanding. Sadly enough, some who are new to this movement will prophesy helter-skelter without allowing their words to be weighed and evaluated (1 Cor. 14:31; 1 Thess. 5:21). Because the prophetic ministry has the power either to bless or curse, all words must be witnessed to and judged by those who are spiritually mature and are in oversight in the local assembly.
Using prophecy to justify rebellion and sin.The charismatic movement caused many prayer groups and unstructured meetings to break themselves off from the church. Some were of God, as the Holy Spirit poured out new wine that old wineskins couldn't contain, causing inevitable splits. But many others were just rebellious groups who wanted to do their own thing without any oversight.
The prophetic movement will see a continuation of this trend, with personal prophecy used as a tool to justify rebellious factions and groups. When confronted by spiritual authority, some will say "God told me," and will produce as evidence several prophecies they gave themselves or which were given by others who endorse their group or ministry. God never intended prophecy to judge doctrinal or disciplinary matters, and He certainly has not appointed certain saints in the church to straighten out everybody else through their spiritual ministry.
Control and manipulation through prophecy. Some ministers or leaders who already have a problem with being controlling will use the gift of prophecy to dictate "orders from God" to those under them. The abuses of the discipleship movement may pale in comparison to this abuse of personal prophecy. Ministers will prophesy to people about whom to marry, which job to get, and when and where to move, all in the name of "spiritual revelation."
Scores of ignorant and immature believers will follow such leaders because they seem to prophesy the word of the Lord and have signs following their ministry. Moses told the Israelites the reason God allows such things to take place: "The Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul" (Deut 13:3; NKJV). So Christians must understand the difference between obeying the word of the Lord and getting confirmation of major moves and life's decisions.
Using the prophetic gift for personal gain.This abuse of deceit will take two forms as people flock to prophetic ministry because God's anointing is upon it. First, many will hold "prophetic conferences" that are prophetic in name only. They will be more interested in drawing people in to pay large seminar fees to bolster their churches' finances than in ministering prophetically to the people. We will hear the word "prophetic" hung like a tag on nearly everything in the church as some try to manipulate people into becoming a part of ministries that are not at all prophetic.
The second form of this abuse is as ancient as Balaam, who tried to prophesy for his own personal gain. Even now certain ones prophesy, "Thus saith the Lord, God is saying if you will support His servant with a one-time gift of $1,000, He will surely bless you." Thousands of gullible Christians will send their money, thinking the man is speaking for God. In the end, however, these false prophets will be exposed as charlatans and judged for making merchandise of the gift of God.
Trying to fulfill personal prophecy out of proper timing.Many Christians who receive true personal prophecies about some great ministry or life situation will misunderstand God's dealing over a period of time and run out to try to fulfill their prophecy in their own strength. If God tells them prophetically that they will be raised up as a great pastor, prophet or apostle, they will run out and print up business cards with titles and proclaim themselves as God's wonder-workers.
Others who are called to be financial stewards for the kingdom of God will rush into business situations based on a personal prophecy because they think one prophecy will cause them to prosper in all their endeavors. The results will be broken contracts, bankruptcy and ruined lives.
When a true prophecy is spoken to an individual, God intends to accomplish that prophecy at some point in that person's life, not necessarily in the following week or month. Christians must learn to wait on the timing of the Lord.
Presumptuous, critical and judgmental prophesying.One of the greatest dangers and abuses of the prophetic movement will be people prophesying presumptuously or critically. For some reason, folks with a critical or negative spirit seem to flock to prophetic ministry, feeling that congregational or personal prophecy is their platform to blast everyone else for living in sin, directly implying that they themselves are the true standard for righteousness. I have seen and heard many who felt they were God's lone prophet in the wilderness, proclaiming righteousness while the rest of the church was wicked and sinful (see Deut. 18:20-22).
I have found, however, that the result of such prophesying is bitter, fruitless and condemning. God has not anointed any sheriffs in the kingdom of God to judge and condemn others, and I believe He rarely, if ever, uses immature believers to give a true word of rebuke and correction. This will be left instead to the mature person whom God can trust with hard words that need to be delivered in the spirit of humility and healing.
Abuses Have Already Begun
My spirit is grieved when I see and hear how some are already abusing the truths and ministries being restored by the prophetic movement. Even now, there are those with television programs who are using the ministry of prophesying to manipulate people to give them financial support. They close their eyes and point their finger and say, "The Lord says" or "The Lord shows me" that someone is to send them a certain amount of money. If the Lord ever did anoint them to prophesy in the first place, then that anointing left when they started using the gift for personal promotion.
I was shocked and disgusted when I heard another television personality say, "Write to me, and I will send you your personal prophecy tape for personal prosperity." I sent for it just so I could hear for myself what was being said. It was a soulish sham of using prophetic ministry to manipulate and motivate people to support his ministry.
I sometimes wish I had the power to close the mouths of such ministers. But then the Lord reminds me of what Paul told the Corinthian church: "There must be also heresies among you, that they who are approved may be made manifest among you" (1 Cor. 11:19, KJV). In relation to this movement, that means there must be false prophets, the ignorant, the immature and the wrongly motivated prophetic ministers who are improperly using the office of the prophet and the ministry of prophesying, so that those who are true and proper may be made manifest as the true prophetic ministers within Christ's church. Jesus said we must let the tares grow along with the wheat until the time of the harvest (Matt. 13:24-30).
Let All Things Be Done
Paul declared, "Let all things be done decently and in order" (1 Cor. 14:40). But there is no need for decency and order unless something is being done. The emphasis should be placed on the first five words in this statement as much as it is on the last four. Let all things be done!
The preacher of old declared that the only way to have a totally clean stall was not to have an ox in it—thus losing the benefit of the ox's labor (Prov. 14:4). So it is with the prophetic movement. If we want the benefit of prophetic ministry in the church, we must expect a few messes in the "stall" as some believers demonstrate a lack of balance, integrity or maturity.
The ones who do not manifest the truth as God intended will not make it back to the middle from the extreme swings of the pendulum of restored truth. But those who have the heart of God and the mind of Christ for this movement will proceed with proper prophetic procedures and practices—bringing the church closer to full restoration, maturity and triumph.
Pope Francis kneels as a crowd of 50,000 charismatic Catholics pray for him, many of whom speaking in tongues. (Catholic News Service video still)
The pope has not always been a friend of the charismatic movement. On June 1, he remarked that, years ago when the Catholic Spirit-filled movement began, he "did not have much love for charismatics."
But meeting with more than 50,000 Catholic charismatics in Rome's Olympic Stadium, the pope willingly knelt onstage as those present prayed for him with singing and speaking in tongues, according to Catholic News Service.
Pope Francis admitted he was uncomfortable, but he let the charismatic multitude carry on.
As he knelt on the stage, the crowd prayed for the Holy Spirit to fill the pontiff and sang with hands raised in his direction. When the song ended, many kept their hands up, singing and continuing to pray in tongues.
Over time, the pontiff has come to see the benefits that they have brought to the church.
Yet the pope also had some words of rebuke in one speech he gave, warning those within the movement not to attempt to control God's Spirit, but rather serve as His conduits.
"Be dispensers of God's grace, not controllers. Don't be the Holy Spirit's customs agents," Pope Francis remarked.
For some, putting "Catholic" and "charismatic" in the same sentence is an oxymoron. But since the charismatic Catholic renewal began in 1967 in Pittsburgh, it has purportedly grown to 119 million followers worldwide.
Watch the Catholic news agency's video of the event:
(Video credit: Robert Duncan/Catholic News Service)
Proverbs 25:2 tells us that God likes to hide things, and that is His glory. We get to discover things, and that is our glory. He leaves hints and trails that lead us to the discovery of divine matters and plans for His next move. You can't get to the next move without going to Him.
Right now, the Church is experiencing a great reformation, and worship is being reformed as well. Understanding the Tabernacle of God, from Revelation 21:3, is the key to discovering that next dimension as well as the result of the reformation itself.
The Tabernacle of David is the framework from which we will discover this next dimension, and God is calling forth a new army of worshipers who are willing to join Him in this season of discovery.
Over twenty years ago, while leading worship in the Charismatic movement, I began to experience some divine discontentment. The way we were doing worship just wasn't hitting the mark. I did all the things that we were taught regarding worship, but still it felt like we came up short.
It slowly occurred to me that we were in the same predicament as the early Church of Acts, chapter 15.
We preached that God was restoring the tabernacle of David, yet we continued to use the pattern of Moses in worship. This divine discontentment caused me to seek the Scriptures, which led me to chapter 10 of Hebrews.
(Photo via SXC by Sias van Schalkwyk)
Hebrews 10 explains that Jesus is the veil of flesh, and we are to boldly approach God though Christ. The pattern of atonement found in Moses' tabernacle was not to be used as a pattern for worship. The pattern for worship would be compared to the tabernacle of David.
With this revelation, I could then be free from working my way behind a veil that didn't exist or worshiping with a pre-atonement fear of acceptance. The divine discontentment was resolved once I began to worship after the new pattern.
We are at such a place again: Divine discontentments and distractions are occurring in order that they might prepare us for change.
Bishop Bill Hamon has declared for several years that we are in the Third and Final Apostolic Reformation. This move is not just a wind or refreshing but a reformation. A form to come out of the form that is. A time where God is changing what is to what will be.
Will There Be A Third Tabernacle Pattern For Worship?
Church history reminds us that whenever a major change happens, music or worship adapts to incorporate those changes, either through practice, doctrine, or message.
When I heard this message along with the Third Day message, I starting praying about the changes in worship and seeking God for direction. Would there be a third tabernacle pattern for worship?
We had experienced the tabernacle of Moses as the first tabernacle. Moving through the outer courts, inner courts, and the holy of holies worship to the tabernacle of David, the second tabernacle. Experiencing worship without a veil, courts, or holy of holies. This transition has taken place for the modern Church over the last 40-50 years or so.
In my quest for direction, the Lord showed me a verse in the book of Revelation. Revelation 21:3 says: "And I heard a loud voice from Heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God."
This passage describes the third tabernacle: the next pattern for worship, a new revelation or understanding of worship. This verse is referring to the City/Kingdom of God, a place where God is. In this place, no symbolism or substitute for Him is needed, because He is there.
The tabernacle of Moses kept us separated from God by a veil. The tabernacle of David brought us into the presence of God without a veil, and the tabernacle of God is bringing God's presence fully into man.
The Scriptures say that God has restored the tabernacle of David (see Acts 15:16). The interesting thing about this Scripture is that David worshipped God in a way that we would after the new covenant was established.
The prophetic nature in the tabernacle of David is amazing. Not only did he worship in a future manner, but he prophesied the coming Messiah. He demonstrated a pattern of relationship in worship that was to come. He reached into a new dimension where Christ would have come, and he brought that to the generations of his day.
(Photo via SXC by Dorothy Brucks)
This is why the Bible declares David's tabernacle as the pattern for New Testament worship. He was a forerunner. He looked into a future dimension and brought it to the present, long before it took hold.
Discovering the next dimension of worship is our responsibility as prophetic people. We can prepare for worship in the Third Reformation by looking to Scripture and hearing the voice of God. We should begin to worship as if God has already come.
Worship with a longing and a satisfaction at the same time. He has completely given Himself to us. All of His goodness, grace, glory, and power without holding back.
We should worship in a way that removes every distraction and item that takes the place of the presence of God and the preeminence of Christ.
Transitioning From the Tabernacle of David To The Tabernacle of God
We are poised for a dimensional transition, and this verse helps us realize the direction we are heading.
Zechariah prophesied:
"The LORD will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall not become greater than that of Judah.
"In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the LORD before them" (Zechariah 12:7-8).
What a powerful Scripture of transition and dimensional change. Every existing level is poised for the next dimension, to move us from the tabernacle of David to the tabernacle of God. All the revelation and understanding of this is yet to be revealed, but the call going forth is for us to discover what He wants to do.
(Photo via SXC by Jen Thomas)
One morning, to no credit of my own study, this verse popped up on my Bible app (Thanks,YouVersion):
"Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name. Because of His great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing" (Isaiah 40:26 NLT).
God is calling the army of stars to shine with His light in this next reformation.
He is calling them forth one by one. He knows their name, and not one of them will be missing. Trust that God knows where to put you and you will not miss out. This is the time to answer the call and accept the responsibility of discovering the next dimension of worship. This call is not for one person to discover but for all who connect with this call.
God is commissioning an entire generation of worshipers for an expedition of discovery – a new prophetic season where multitudes will experience the presence of God in ways they have never known – where we will write the songs of where we are going, sing what we are seeing, and do what we are declaring.
Discovery will not come from our decision but from our encounter with God. The new sound will not come from our playing but from the way we play having been transformed by God.
We will worship for future outcomes. This is the anointing of the prophetic: To see where God is going and act as if we have already been there. This is faith.
Answer the call of discovery and demonstrate that God is with us now. Emmanuel. Who was, and is, and is to come.
Dean Mitchum is a proven prophetic worship leader, psalmist, and teacher. Having been the worship pastor and director of worship ministries for Dr. Bill Hamon for the last 17 years, he has taught thousands the understanding and implementation of prophetic and apostolic worship.
Dean serves as worship leader for Pastors Tom and Jane Hamon at Vision Church @ Christian International. He is the author of Prophetic Worship 101 and Apostolic Kingdom Praise, which has been published in several languages. Dean has recorded 16 worship albums, four prophetic instrumental albums, and recently published a songwriter's course on how to master the process of writing great worship songs. Dean and his wife Lisa have written over 100 songs, many of which are sung in churches around the world. Dean and Lisa have been married for thirty years and have five children and three grandchildren.
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Proverbs 25:2 tells us that God likes to hide things, and that is His glory. We get to discover things, and that is our glory. He leaves hints and trails that lead us to the discovery of divine matters and plans for His next move. You can't get to the next move without going to Him.
It slowly occurred to me that we were in the same predicament as the early Church of Acts, chapter 15. 
The prophetic nature in the tabernacle of David is amazing. Not only did he worship in a future manner, but he prophesied the coming Messiah. He demonstrated a pattern of relationship in worship that was to come. He reached into a new dimension where Christ would have come, and he brought that to the generations of his day. 
What a powerful Scripture of transition and dimensional change. Every existing level is poised for the next dimension, to move us from the tabernacle of David to the tabernacle of God. All the revelation and understanding of this is yet to be revealed, but the call going forth is for us to discover what He wants to do. 
