PROPHETIC CHAMBER

FLORIDA OUTPOURING receives endorsements and oversight.

Includes Chuck Pierce, C. Peter Wagner, Che Ahn, Bill Johnson, Rick Joyner, John Arnott, and MANY MORE"

We have had several people write with great concerns about the current move of God that has been stirring in Lakeland, Atlanta, Dallas and other areas of our nation. Let me share some things with you. I actually believe this letter would be worth reading as you continue praying for us in Africa.

We have made our way into Northern Nigeria. Continue to pray for us. Life here is what you may have imagined in Africa: tin roofs, raining, hazy mountains in the distance and bugs buzzing. When we got five miles from the Compound in the rural area of Kafanchan at the Throne Room Trust Ministry, International Prayer Village, you could feel the tangible Presence of His Spirit.

I love being here, even though the surroundings are not what I am normally accustomed to; the food is different, and well, yes, there are many different creatures. The main issue is this: in the midst of this environment, I am not afraid of being infected by malaria or getting dysentery because I am in a different land. The people here are some of the most gracious in all the world.

I see that some individuals view "moves of God" this way: they see all the dangers, they are afraid that they will have a demon transferred to them, they analyze every move and shake and scrutinize doctrinally everything that is happening. This may be the only way that some can process their relationship with the Lord and the Body of Christ.

I know that many would not like to be here in northern Nigeria in this rural area, nor would they like to be wearing the kingly, African traditional clothing that I am wearing this evening. Some of us are more adventurous than others. Some need to fully test the water before they swim. Personally, I have found that there is great joy in watching God's people express themselves, work through their issues, learn to discern both good and evil and continually mature in Him.

Advancing the Body of Christ

I was just in Zambia. We saw a great reconciliation of the nation and people with the ex-President. This man had a great reproach from his terms in office. However, God in His grace chose to bring him forth, humble him and forgive him, and use him to change a nation. From a political standpoint, many would have wished he would have stayed estranged from the Body. However, I chose to go with the Spirit of God above political party divisions and reconcile him back into God's Kingdom plan.

We at Glory of Zion International have chosen to number ourselves in intercession with what is happening in Lakeland and other places throughout the world. Some have written asking me to reject Todd Bentley. Glory of Zion International does not have a philosophy or mindset to reject anyone. We watch, pray, and then try to communicate what the Lord is saying to help the overall Body of Christ advance.

I have seen others get offended because key leaders commissioned Todd as a modern day evangelist. We at Glory of Zion have no problems with this new commissioning. Please know that we are living in an age where the apostolic gift in the Body has come into a new position and era of authority. I was very excited to read Peter Wagner's report (below) on the commissioning service in Lakeland. I admire Ché Ahn, Bill Johnson, and John Arnott. I can now rest in the LORD, knowing that if things get out of sync, this team can help Todd make adjustments so the Spirit can keep moving.

We will continue to pray that the Lord raises up even more evangelists all over the world who can reach the harvest fields today. Yes, they may look different than Billy Graham, and they may have experienced some unusual happenings that perhaps will be more easily communicated as time goes on and we all grow in the Lord. But, overall, they are stirring the Body of Christ, leading people to the Lord, and doing the works of Jesus!

Eat the Meat and Spit Out the Bones

Let me share with you a personal experience. When Pam and I were in the Baptist Church in the early '80s, we were in a "move of God." The Fullness Movement had touched the Baptist Church in the late '70s, led by Jim Hylton, Ras Robinson, Jack Taylor and others. We had had some incredible meetings at our church. Many had gotten saved, gotten right with the Lord and filled with the Spirit of God. I loved this time. Pam and I both reminisce over it and call it "the Glory Days."

Then James Robison had his annual meeting and invited John Wimber to minister. Many of you remember our story of Pam's barrenness. You can read about it in two or three of the books that we have written. We were told by all of our leadership how this "move" had gotten way out of hand, and now that John Wimber (who had no Baptist roots), was invading James Robison's meeting, we should all stay away from these gatherings. (You should know that John Wimber and Peter Wagner helped revive signs and wonders in the '80s.)

Well, I heard God very clearly tell Pam and me to go in January, 1984, to the James Robison meeting where John Wimber was speaking. While we were there, the Spirit of God fell on my wife and sovereignly filled her. His power knocked the clots out of her uterus and He dramatically healed her. When the Spirit of God fell on Pam she said, "You were right! There are demons everywhere, but I AM HEALED!"

This was not about John Wimber. This was not about Baptists. This was not about controversy. This test was ours! The situation was about us following God without fear so He could reward us with an incredible blessing. Pam became pregnant two weeks later and continued to be pregnant for the next 10 years of our lives. We had six wonderful children. I'm so thankful I listened to the Spirit of God and did not let religious fear rule us. There were others with us that were not touched at all by the meetings. As a matter of fact, they did not appreciate at all the way John Wimber ministered. However, in the midst of his ministry, the Spirit of God ministered to us and changed the course of our lives.

I am honored that God brought me into alignment with Peter and Doris Wagner after I embraced the move of God that had been stirred by he and John Wimber. We have now been together for 17 years. During that time, I have continued to get the best God has to offer from the revivals in Argentina, Toronto, the "Laughter Movement," Brownsville, and any other fresh breath of wind that blows.

I have many friends who have great cautions over experiential manifestations and extra-Biblical, sensational happenings. I heed those friends' voices and listen carefully. This does not keep me from experiencing what God is doing. I love what Bishop Bill Hamon says, "Eat the meat and spit out the bones and you will find yourself nourished."

From Chaos to Order

Recently, I have been pondering the first several verses of Genesis. In the midst of a wreck and ruined, chaotic, without-form earth, the Spirit of God began to hover. Once the Spirit began to hover, God could speak into the earth realm and pull forth creativity. He did this for six straight days. But notice God's order: He didn't try and set in order the sixth day before the first day. He didn't try to place the fourth day before the second day. Little by little, as the Spirit hovered, order came and man was offered a new position as a result. That is how I view every move of God.

What I would encourage you to do is to keep discerning by the Word and the Spirit, but to be open to see the Lord move in a new way. The disciples could not understand why the Lord would go to Samaria and visit with the woman at the well. However, because of His love and boldness to break a religious standard, a whole city was saved (John 4). The Lord is preparing to save entire cities today.

Thank God that Jesus talked to this woman - a person with a past, a Samaritan, and a woman. He was not afraid of His reputation being marred. Recently, a letter from one of the major Bible churches in Denton went out to leaders in our city on the doctrine of women and how they should have a subservient role in the Body of Christ in public ministry.

Prior to this letter going out, I had invited Cindy Jacobs to minister at Glory of Zion on Sunday, July 6. I want you to know that I have been a champion for women ministers throughout the years. I am so very excited to have Cindy with us on July 6th because women are welcome to minister in Denton, Texas. I would never shut the door of ministry for her to come into this city because of man's opinion.

Neither would I, Robert Heidler, or any leader that is aligned with me, shut the door to Keith Miller or Todd Bentley to come to Denton to minister what the Spirit of God is doing in their lives. We consider it a privilege that God has opened the gate for Spirit-led ministry to come into Denton. We are glad that He "needs" to come to Denton just like He "needed" to go to Samaria.

You are always welcome to come to Denton. As a matter of fact, you might "need" to come here to gain your next release from the Lord. You can go to Keith Miller's meeting. You can come to our Firstfruits Gathering. You can come be with Cindy Jacobs on Sunday, July 6. You can come to Tuesday Morning Prayer. You are invited to come any time and you will not be rejected as you come into this city.

Keep praying for us. We will be home on Tuesday.

Blessings,

Chuck D. Pierce
Glory of Zion Ministries


C. Peter Wagner: "Peter Wagner's Report of the Lakeland Outpouring"

I am writing from Lakeland where I have just sent a report of Doris' and my experiences here to a group of apostles I have been working with, some in favor of Lakeland and some opposed. I wanted you to have this information as well.

Blessings,

C. Peter Wagner
Global Harvest Ministries

June 24, 2008

As all of you know, what I believe to be God-orchestrated circumstances over the past three weeks or so have brought me mainstream into the Lakeland Outpouring and the controversies surrounding it.

I am writing this from Lakeland, Florida. The night of June 22, Doris and I attended the meeting in the tent along with 10,000 others - the largest crowd yet since meeting in the tent. It was the 82nd day of the Outpouring. Todd Bentley used his speaking time in giving the most detailed testimony so far of the "dark night of the soul" that he experienced for 18 months during 2005-2007. It was a very remarkable and transparent confession of his pride during the ten years previously and details of the wilderness that God took him through to break the pride.

He was very clear about his lack of discipline, his emotions out of control, his rejection of God, his dislike of reading Scripture, public meltdown on the platform, memories of childhood rejection, loneliness, sexual abuse, his marriage on the brink of divorce, etc. He was so burnt out that he cried four hours per day for 21 days straight.

When it was over, God restored everything related to his staff, his marriage, his ministry, and his newly-refined personal character. This was a very remarkable and touching presentation. There was no hint of victimization or wanting a pity party. It was a confession of his own sin and the consequences he paid for disobedience. Doris and I were very touched by this, and we were thankful to God for a window on Todd's character that we didn't expect to be so wide open to us.

Opening Gates For New Seasons of the Movement of God

Let me remind you that Doris and I have been very close to other similar outpourings, especially the John Wimber signs and wonders phenomenon of the late '70s and '80s, as well as the Argentine Revival of the '80s and '90s. We believe we have paid our dues in terms of the ability to discern truth from error and also in receiving severe and often painful criticism for some of the judgments we made in supporting those two movements.

As we observed and participated in the meeting in the tent, we became very nostalgic about Wimber and Argentina, even noting some physical resemblance between Todd and Wimber. His accuracy in words of knowledge reminded us of both John Wimber in the past and Robert Henderson in the present. The worship time was similar to the worship we experience in Freedom Church in Colorado Springs, except on a larger and more exuberant scale. We saw or felt nothing that would cross the lines we have previously experienced in high-profile revival. We have learned that God-driven revival is often messy, tending to pull some out of their religious comfort zones, but at the same time opening gates for new seasons of the movement of God.

All this was in preparation for last night, June 23, when we held a ceremony of apostolic alignment for Todd Bentley. As you will see from the document I will attach, the gist was that Todd would be aligned with Ché Ahn, Bill Johnson and John Arnott, representing Revival Alliance, who would then commission him as the evangelist to lead the Lakeland Outpouring.

A few of us met with Todd personally before the service, and we found him to be a wonderful individual. Doris and I had never met him before. I explained to him what the ceremony would be like, and he agreed. I thought that it was interesting when he wanted to change one thing I had written in this document, because I could then run a quiet test of his humility and his respect for authority. Keep in mind that this was Todd's ministry and Todd's meeting. However, he had delegated the leadership of the ceremony to me. I suggested that his change was not wise, and he immediately accepted my decision. We were on the same page! In fact, we like each other!

Commissioning Todd Bentley in the Lakeland Outpouring

The scenario was that I took the podium and called around me Todd Bentley, Ché Ahn, Bill Johnson and John Arnott. I then called to the platform a number of apostles whom I had chosen to stand behind us: Stephen Strader of Lakeland, Florida; Karl Strader of Lakeland, Florida; Jeff Beacham of Sydney, Australia; Rick Joyner of Fort Mill, South Carolina; Doris Wagner of Colorado Springs, Colorado; Sharon Stone of Burton, England; Paco Garcia of Chiclana, Spain; Clarice Fluitt of Monroe, Louisiana; Richard Maiden of Scottsdale, Arizona; Michael Maiden of Phoenix, Arizona; Joshua Fowler of Orlando, Florida; Barry Boucher of Ottawa, Canada; and Wesley Campbell of Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. Unfortunately, Bishop Bill Hamon had to cancel because of a travel problem. I then read the paper I am attaching and, despite several requests, I even desisted from telling a joke! When I finished, I handed the microphone to Ché Ahn, and he was in charge.

Ché Ahn, Bill Johnson and John Arnott laid on hands and anointed Todd Bentley with a special new "Be Revived" oil that Chuck Pierce (who was in Africa) sent for the event. Todd went down under the power of the Spirit and the three prophesied over him, commissioning him as the evangelist to lead the Lakeland Outpouring. Then most of the backup apostles prayed and prophesied as well. The power of the Holy Spirit was so heavy on that event that you could almost have cut it with a knife!

It was quite evident to those present that this was a groundbreaking event. A serious public problem had been growing in the Body of Christ revolving around concerns about Lakeland from respected leaders. Even "schism" had been mentioned frequently. Because of the extensive media coverage through GOD TV, it was much more than a private or a trivial matter. Something was called for to set things in order, and this is the stated role of apostles.

We are now in a place in what I see as the Second Apostolic Age that apostles can agree publicly to bring alignment. The seventeen apostles involved in this event represented three distinct apostolic streams: ICA (10 were ICA members), Revival Alliance, and Morningstar. Even though we are not networked formally, we believe in and support each other and we stand together when a crisis such as this one comes along. I may be wrong, but I cannot recall an event of this nature in the recent history of the Church.

The Prophetic Dimension Accompanying the Commissioning Event

There was a notable prophetic dimension accompanying the event. Around a month ago, Bob Jones prophesied that on June 22 the outpouring would increase so much that it would appear that the revival would really begin at that time. Of course no one knew that June 23, the day after June 22, would be the date of Todd's apostolic alignment which could well be the event to release increased spiritual power. Parenthetically, both June 22 and June 23 broke previous attendance records in the 10,000-seat tent.

There is a great deal more to say, but I will leave it as it is for the moment. My paper, "Lakeland Outpouring Apostolic Alignment," which is below, will fill in many details. Although I am writing this primarily to you who are mentioned above, I will also send it to some others to whom I feel responsible for a report of Todd's alignment and commissioning.

Blessings,

C. Peter Wagner
Global Harvest Ministries

P.S. June 25 was Todd's day off, so Ché Ahn took the service. Among other things, he used Chuck Pierce's "Be Revived" anointing oil to personally anoint the 1,000 or so pastors as "carriers of fire" to their churches. Forty-seven nations were represented in the meeting. He admonished them to receive it here in Lakeland, Florida, and then give it away!

C. Peter Wagner: "LAKELAND OUTPOURING APOSTOLIC ALIGNMENT"

June 23, 2008

A warm welcome to those of you who are present in this tent and to you who are watching through GOD TV. You are about to witness an event which could well have historic implications not only for the Lakeland Outpouring, but also for our nation and for many other nations of the world. Prophets have been telling us for years that God is about to launch an extraordinary spiritual awakening with signs and wonders, and for over two months, Todd Bentley has been leading one of the more obvious fulfillments of those prophecies. This is an exciting place to be right now!

My name is Peter Wagner and I am President of Global Harvest Ministries based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I have served the Body of Christ in apostolic ministry for many years, and currently I preside over the International Coalition of Apostles, which brings together over 500 recognized apostles. I have the honor of being assigned to preside over this momentous occasion, and I am humbled as I approach the task with an enormous sense of awe. Holy Spirit, I invite Your presence, Your power, and Your direction.

What is Apostolic Alignment?

This is a ceremony celebrating the formal apostolic alignment of Todd Bentley. My first desire is to lay a Biblical foundation for what we are about to do.

I will begin with a scripture that has been a central text for those of us who are in the stream of the contemporary apostolic/prophetic movement - Ephesians 4:11-12:

"And He Himself (Jesus at His ascension) gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry..."

The word "equipping" is a translation of the Greek katartizo which literally means "aligning," as in setting a broken bone or a chiropractic adjustment. It means putting things in order so that the body functions as it was designed to function. This is one of the responsibilities of apostles such as those whom you see on the platform, and that is the reason we are present tonight. For example, Paul wrote to Titus, "For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking..." (Titus 1:5).

Biblical, Apostolic Alignment Relationships

Speaking of Paul and Titus, their relationship is a Biblical prototype of apostolic alignment. The same would apply to Paul and Timothy. The apostolic alignment of Timothy and Titus with Paul was a principal factor in allowing God to develop and fulfill His complete destiny in both of their lives.

But, Paul himself was also apostolically aligned. Soon after he was called to join Barnabas and his colleagues in Antioch for the then controversial ministry of planting churches among Gentiles, he traveled to Jerusalem to bring a gift for famine relief and also to align with some of the apostles. I want to use the experience that Paul had on that occasion as the text for the protocol for tonight's alignment and commissioning of Todd Bentley. It is found in Galatians 2:9, which tells the story of one of Paul's visits to Jerusalem:

"...and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised."

Todd is following Paul's example by inviting to the platform three apostolic pillars of today's Church: Ché Ahn of Pasadena, California; Bill Johnson of Redding, California; and John Arnott of Toronto, Canada - Todd's native land. They represent an apostolic network called Revival Alliance.

Notice that the apostles in Jerusalem "perceived the grace that God had given to Paul." The word "grace" is charis, the root of charisma, meaning "spiritual gift or gifts." In Paul's case, it was the gift mix necessary to carry the Gospel to the Gentiles. In Todd's case, it is the gift mix necessary to lead the Lakeland Outpouring.

I have a question for the three apostles: Do you perceive the grace of God given to Todd Bentley as an evangelist to lead the Lakeland Outpouring? (Answer: "I do.")

I have a question for Todd Bentley: Do you recognize the apostolic authority of these three men in your life and ministry, and do you desire to establish an apostolic alignment with them and with Revival Alliance? (Answer: "I do.")

Fellowship and Increase, Increase, Increase

With this affirmation, we will move to a formal commissioning, equivalent to "offering the right hand of fellowship" as the three apostles did to Paul in Jerusalem.

This commissioning represents a powerful spiritual transaction taking place in the invisible world. With this in mind, I take the apostolic authority that God has given me and I decree to Todd Bentley:

* Your power will increase.
* Your authority will increase.
* Your favor will increase.
* Your influence will increase.
* Your revelation will increase.

I also decree that:

* A new supernatural strength will flow through this ministry.
* A new life force will penetrate this move of God.
* A government will be established to set things in their proper order.
* God will pour out a higher level of discernment to distinguish truth from error.
* New relationships will surface to open gates for the future.

(To Ché Ahn) Ché, you may now proceed.

C. Peter Wagner
Global Harvest Ministries

PROPHETIC CHAMBER

We Are His Bride

Recently, when invited to minister, I was asked if I would teach about the Bride of Christ. As I inquired of the Lord in regards to this particular teaching, He took me in a slightly different direction than what might be expected. He told me to teach it, by establishing firmly, that we - the Church - are indeed His Bride.

I am in no way an expert on ancient Jewish weddings. Fortunately, among the many members of the Body of Christ, there are those who have been given the gift and anointing that enables them to do extensive research on such things. The rest of us are blessed to be able to draw and glean from their well of knowledge they've acquired from such research. It was so exciting for me to discover that what I found from those who spent many years studying the ancient Jewish weddings was confirmation on what I was hearing the Lord speak to me about them. So, from the joint supply of the Body of Christ, extending from research to the revelatory gift, this is being brought to you. Glean from it, and then allow the Holy Spirit to take you into an even deeper level of insight, revelation and understanding about being the Bride.

Israel - God's Chosen People

The relationship of the Bride actually began with Abraham. God established a covenant with Abraham, extending it down to all of his descendants. In so doing, God established Israel as His chosen people, and through the covenant that He made with them, He became married to Israel and all the natural descendants of Abraham.

In Isaiah 54:5, the Lord says to His people Israel, "For your Maker is your Husband, the Lord of hosts is His name; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth."

So, right there, God Himself states that He is Israel's Husband. He makes it perfectly clear by defining that God and their Husband are one in the same.

But Israel began to turn to idol worship, which in Jeremiah Chapter 3, the Lord addresses to His chosen one - Israel - telling her that by this practice she is defiling the land and committing adultery. In verse 14, He offers her forgiveness if she will only return to Him and come away from her adulterous ways, telling her, "...for I am married to you."

You see, when the Lord establishes a covenant, He does not take it lightly. When God makes a covenant, He establishes it to be an everlasting covenant, only to be released out of it by means of death. A covenant comes by way of agreement. Both parties involved in the covenant must have come into a mutual contract of agreement that has bound them together within an established union. When the Lord makes covenant, He faithfully keeps His word in it, and likewise, He expects everyone who establishes covenant to remain faithful to the agreement.

The Intimacy of Worshiping with the Heart

When you worship the Lord, you are offering up and surrendering your heart and adoration unto Him. Worship is supposed to be a time of communion with the Holy Spirit that releases to Him and receives from Him intimate affections. Just as in Jeremiah where the Lord said Israel was defiling the land by turning to other gods, in Matthew 15:8-9, Jesus speaks about it also being defiling to render lip service in worship while your heart is given elsewhere.

Just as in the natural it would be defiling to the marriage for a spouse to give their heart's affections to another outside of the marriage, it's as equally defiling for one who is in covenant with the Lord to turn their affections to another, placing that person or thing above the Lord in their heart...whether it be a job, a person, money, or even a ministry.

Why is it so important to the Lord that your heart be actively involved in all that you do and say in His presence?

"(It's) with the heart one believes unto righteousness..." Romans 10:10

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21

The place that you put the abundance (or focus) of your attention will eventually be the place that you surrender the adoration of your heart over to, also.

Even though Israel turned her affections to another, God loves His Bride, with a fervent passion. Listen to what He says to her about the day that she turns aside from all others and back to Him:

"And it shall be, in that day," says the Lord, "that you will call Me 'My Husband,' and no longer call Me 'My Master'...I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in lovingkindness and mercy; I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you shall know the LORD." Hosea 2:16, 19-20

When He says "and you shall know the LORD" in this Scripture, the word "know" in its Hebrew meaning is the same meaning as what is used in Genesis 4:1: "Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, 'I have acquired a man from the LORD.'"

This use of "know" and "knew" is describing the sexually intimate relationship of a husband and wife in marriage. Now, if the Lord is telling His people that His will is for them to "know" Him, He is talking to them about having a relationship with Him that is deeply intimate and is within the covenant of a marriage.

Ancient Jewish Wedding Ceremony

In America, our process of marriage goes something like this: we see a significant other that we are attracted to, we date, we fall in love, we become engaged, and on an agreed-upon date we go through a somewhat-short wedding ceremony by exchanging vows with one another and signing some paperwork that makes it all legal...and we're off and married! This process can be as short or as long as we desire it to be.

In an ancient Jewish wedding, the process is a little different than what most of us are used to.

The wedding was performed in two stages: the first being the Betrothal, and the second being the Consummation.

Betrothed means to engage or promise in marriage by a mutual contract. Consummation means to be carried to the utmost extent or degree; to bring to completion.

Because the Betrothal stage of the marriage process is what pertains to the present stage of the Church, that's what we will focus on primarily. Although being betrothed to one another was similar to being engaged to one another, it is different than how our culture considers the engagement portion. For the most part, our engagement is established only by trust and integrity that the other person will be true to their commitment and follow through as planned, with the absence of anything legally binding.

In an ancient Jewish wedding, the betrothal was considered to be a binding, legal contract, and was recognized as marriage. To break it, a certificate of divorce must be given. And it was possible for the betrothal process to take, on the average, up to 12 months to complete.

I have listed the steps involved in the Betrothal portion of an ancient Jewish wedding, each followed by Scriptural reference of the new covenant Jesus established with His Church. It is my prayer that you are blessed as you discover and understand that our Lord and Savior truly established us in the most intimate covenant there is...the covenant of marriage.

The Betrothal

1) The first step in the wedding process comes when the man, who is ready to take a wife, chooses the woman that he wants for his bride, and receives his father's blessing for the marriage process to begin. He will then invite the woman to his father's house. And she of course, knowing the custom well, knows that at that time she has the choice to accept his invitation or reject it.

Jesus said in John 15:16, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you."

When the woman accepts the invitation, she then enters into the father's house to meet with the father and his son. The father, son, and the bride all know that this is the first stage in the wedding process, and this step is to be taken seriously.

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me." Revelation 3:20

The Covenant: His Promise and Purchase Price

2) The father and son will at that time present a marriage contract to the bride. Within this contract are promises that the son makes to the bride, telling her what he will do for her within their marriage covenant.

"...as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." 2 Peter 1:3-4

It also states what the bride's obligations are within the marriage covenant.

"...but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct." 1 Peter 1:15

And there must be a purchase price - so, it also lists the price that the man will pay for his bride.

"For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." 1 Corinthians 6:20

"Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the Church of God which He purchased with His own blood." Acts 20:28

The Marriage Cup

3) The man and woman will then drink a sip of wine from the cup to seal the contract of marriage. By the both of them drinking from the cup, they are signifying that they have now become one, and they both know that the marriage contract has at that point been made official and legally binding.

"Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.'" Luke 22:20

The disciples were very acquainted with the wedding ceremony and marriage covenant, so they understood well that as they drank from the cup, they had become as one with Jesus, and all that He had became theirs, also.

Sealed by Gifts for All to See

4) The father and son give gifts to the bride as proof that the marriage contract was sealed. This was evidence that could be seen by others that there was indeed a binding marital contract.

"But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore He says: 'When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.'" Ephesians 4:7-8

"...who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee." 2 Corinthians 1:22

"In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory." Ephesians 1:13-14

Set Apart for Her Husband

5) Now the bride would place a veil upon her face that all could see and know that she was set apart for her husband only. She now belongs to him and to him only. No one else is allowed to look upon her, because she is a married woman. Even though they have not yet consummated the marriage, they are considered legally married. They have taken the vows, and she is to walk in purity, reserving herself for her husband.

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." Romans 12:1

"But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him." 1 Corinthians 6:17

He Prepares for Her a Bridal Chamber

6) At that point, the husband and wife will part ways for a time. The husband will go away with his father, to his father's house, to prepare a bridal chamber for his bride. As they depart from one another, the son would say to his bride something like, "I go to prepare a place for you, and when my father tells me it is ready, I will come and receive you unto me." During this time, the husband and bride will not actually be together, but she will have the promise of the gifts to take with her that ensures her he will return for her when the preparation of the bridal chamber is complete.

"In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know." John 14:2-4

Only the Father Knows the Time He Will Choose for His Son

7) It is up to the father to tell the son when the chamber is complete and is time to go receive his bride unto him. The son does not know when the father will decide it's time, only the father knows the time he will choose.

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of Heaven, but My Father only." Matthew 24:36

"Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming." Matthew 25:13

The Coming Consummation

The next step of the ancient Jewish wedding was the consummation process. But just prior to the consummation process, the bride would disrobe and dip down into a pool of water to signify that she is cleansed and sanctified for her husband.

"...that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish." Ephesians 5:26-27

"...let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." Hebrews 10:22

This is crossing over a bit into the consummation portion of the wedding, but I want to throw this in, because it's so awesome. As I said previously, no one knows, not even the son - only the father knows the time that the bridegroom will return to receive his bride, because the father is the one who appoints the time. It was common for the bridegroom to return in secret, suddenly and unannounced prior to his arrival, and oftentimes he would arrive late at night.

"Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." Matthew 24:44

"And at midnight a cry was heard: 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'" Matthew 25:6

Once the bridegroom receives his bride unto him, he will then bring her to the marriage supper!

Grafted In

Whenever I teach or make mention of the Bride, I almost always get a huge response. There are those who respond with excitement and a passionate desire to know the Lord more so, as being His Bride. There is also the belief among many that Israel is the only Bride.

Yes, God is married to Israel, so therefore, Israel is His Bride. But, let's read on.

"But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says: 'I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation, I will move you to anger by a foolish nation.' But Isaiah is very bold and says: 'I was found by those who did not seek Me; I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me.' But to Israel he says: 'All day long I have stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.'" Romans 10:19-21

"I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles...

"And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you." Romans 11:11, 17-18

Although God's original plan was of His chosen people Israel, through Jesus, we, His people brought in by the new covenant, became grafted in and share in the same marriage covenant and inheritance as what the natural olive tree does. Jesus and the Father are one (John 10:30); ALL that Jesus has is the Father's, and ALL the Father has is the Son's (John 17:10); therefore we have become grafted in to being a chosen people. We have become one and the same, and are also His Bride! Praise be to the Lord!

The Apostle Paul recognized that we are in a marriage covenant with the Lord: "Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another - to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God." Romans 7:4

"For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." 2 Corinthians 11:2

Approaching The Lord in Intimacy

The betrothal stage of the wedding of the Church took place while Jesus was on the earth. That's when this marriage contract was made legal. That's why we can walk in the same power and authority of Christ, because we have been given His name and sealed with His Spirit, and in all the spiritual realm, it is recognized as a legal and binding contract.

Let's talk about our relationship with the Lord as His Bride. How often is it that we approach Him in timidity, unsure that He wants us to get close and intimate with Him?

Let me say this: a husband delights in his bride approaching him, desiring intimate fellowship. In the same manner, our Lord and Bridegroom, delights in us as we approach Him, being confident that He welcomes us unto Him, in a rich, deeply personal and intimate relationship. He has already told us that He wants us to know Him as a husband and wife know one other within the marriage bed. That may seem way out there to you, but it's nonetheless true.

Spiritually speaking, we can have that deep intimate relationship with our Lord. He created us to know Him in a fellowship of deep communion. And we should not fear approaching Him in that way. He has given us the liberty of His Spirit to boldly seek to know Him more and more in a deeper intimacy every day than what we knew Him in the day before. And because there is so much depth to the Lord, it's more than just a possibility to know Him more deeply with each and every passing day. How delighted our Bridegroom would be if we made it our quest to know His heart - because we have drawn near enough to hear His heart!

Here's the thing, it's impossible to know someone - really know them up close and personal - unless you spend time with them and make it your focus to learn everything you can about them. I'm not talking about knowing about them, because you are merely told about them, rather, getting to know them because you are interacting with them directly - and frequently.

What Are We Going To Do With It?

Now that we know that we know that we know we are called to be His Bride, let's not keep a distance from Him. Let's get really close and personal with Him - as His Bride. Remember, He created you for Him - for His eyes - for His pleasure. He sees you as the most beautiful creation there is...when He looks at you, He sees you as the most beautiful and most lovely that there is. When He looks at me, He sees me as the most beautiful and most lovely that there is. Each and every one of us, individually unique, are the most beautiful and the most lovely of all to our Bridegroom, who is waiting for us to draw near to Him.

So, when your Lord, your Husband, beckons unto you to enter into the secret place with Him, don't hesitate - answer His call and go to the place of the deep with Him, surrendering your heart fully unto Him with confidence that He is willing, eager and delighted to receive you. YOU!!

In His Service,

Taffie Furr
Revelation of Jesus Christ Ministries

PROPHETIC CHAMBER

Leadership comes on different levels.

Armies tend to have ranks; Moses broke it down into leaders of tens, hundreds, and thousands. In Exodus 12:38, we are told that Israel left Egypt as a "mixed multitude," but then they were quickly formed into "martial array" (see Exodus 13:18), which means military order. This was the first thing the Lord did to prepare Israel for making it through the wilderness and to possess their Promised Land. We can soon expect this to also happen in the Church.

As we have stated, there is a reason why He uses the title "Lord of hosts" or "Lord of armies" more than ten times as much as any other title. He is a martial God - a military leader. His people will become the most awesome army the world has ever seen. We can expect a military demeanor to permeate the advancing Church throughout its ranks and a new breed of leader to arise.

Great Captains

Every great captain of thousands almost certainly began as an immature captain of tens. Maturity can only come with the passage of time and experience. In time, someone who began as an immature leader of tens will become a mature leader of tens. Then he will likely get promoted to a leader of hundreds. The Captain said: "If we are faithful in the little things, He will entrust us with greater things" (see Matthew 25:21).

However, that does not mean that person will now be a mature leader of hundreds when promoted. He will, in fact, be an immature leader of hundreds. He will not start as immature as at the previous level because he has the experience of the basics of leadership. Even so, there are dynamics of leading hundreds that will stretch our abilities to be leaders, regardless of how well we understand leadership.

This anointing for leadership is not just about how many people we can lead. Leaders of tens in some places are much better and more mature leaders than those who may be leaders of thousands in other situations. The same is true in our military. A small group of Special Forces may be a far more valuable and potent force than a much larger force of standard troops, so one who can lead the smaller Special Forces group may be a much more effective and valuable leader.

There is an anointing or grace for leading numbers, but there are special mandates and commissions from God that may take an even greater type of leader.

In every kind of leadership, we must be able to evaluate the status of the people we are leading so we can lead them further, but we must also be able to evaluate ourselves. Those who become great leaders of tens may think that they now understand leadership, and they may, and may be doing it well on their level.

However, there can be a huge difference between leading ten people and leading a hundred. Then there can be another big difference between leading two hundred and leading five hundred or seven hundred. Leading hundreds can prepare us for leading thousands, but there is a big difference that few can comprehend until they are there.

Understanding Something and Doing It

There can be a big difference between understanding something and being able to do it. As a flight instructor, I learned quickly to watch out for students who had read the training manual. These came for flight training with a cocky edge which was apparent by them constantly trying to show me how much they already knew.

These students were dangerous, maybe not unteachable, but at least much harder to teach. This always made it take longer to teach them how to fly the airplane. Also, something had to scare and humble them before they could fly solo or they would be dangerous.

Being able to explain the mechanics of how to land a plane and actually being able to land one are different things. As a Christian, I have also watched many gain knowledge about the manual, the Bible, and that knowledge would puff them up because they could not distinguish the difference between having intellectual knowledge of a truth and actually living that truth. In fact, some of the people I've met who have the greatest knowledge of "the deep things of God" have been some of the least Christlike people I've met and have little of His life and power.

However, reading the manual before beginning their actual flight training worked differently for some. Some were not puffed up by their knowledge, but rather humbled by it. These were the rare ones who cared less about impressing their flight instructor, but were more concerned about learning to fly the airplane. For these, their knowledge of the manual actually aided and sped up their training. Humility makes everything in life easier.

The Faster We Humble Ourselves the Easier It Will Be For Us

Even so, as a flight instructor I was just as resolved to get the proud ones to be good pilots as I was the humble ones, and I would give the same effort to each. In my observations of how the Lord deals with us, I don't think He gives up on people either just because they are proud. It may be harder and take longer for the proud ones, but He loves them too. However, just as my effort with the humble produced much faster results, the faster we humble ourselves, the easier it will be for us.

Higher levels of flying are identified by higher licenses, such as Commercial or Airline Transport Pilot ratings. In a sense, these are like being captains of tens, hundreds, or thousands because with each higher rating, there is likely a bigger aircraft which will carry more people.

There is a world of difference between flying a Cessna trainer and flying a Boeing 747, even though they both have the same basic controls and flight and navigation instruments. It may take pilots to fly both of them, but there can be a huge difference in them. Likewise, we may all be leaders, but at what level? What do we need to do to be as effective where we are called, and if we are going to be promoted, what do we need to do to go to the next level?

True disciples are students - ever learning, growing, and seeking more knowledge of their callings and purposes and using the experience to grow in wisdom. Let us be a true disciple every day we are in this life. It is all for the purpose of preparing us for the greatest promotion of all - to rule and reign with Him.

Rick Joyner
MorningStar Ministries

TAGS