he entire Body
of Christ is standing poised, waiting for the manifestation of the New move of
God that will be ushered in by the manifestation of the end times apostles.
The signs are all there that this has already begun to take place, and each
one seems to have a different idea concerning the changes that need to be
made. But before we even begin to look at changing the visible church, there
is something vital that needs to be considered.
I would like to share this with you now before it comes to pass.
We are going to be covering this subject in detail at our upcoming
Apostolic and Prophetic International Conference next month, so I will not
give away all the truths that God has given us on this subject, but I would
like to share with you a preview of the basis of the revelation that God has
given us concerning the Body of Christ and the changes that need to be made.
The best starting point as always is the Scripture, so let's consider some
vital passages of Scripture on this subject.
Hebrews 8:5 Who minister as a model and outline of the heavenly realm, as
Moses was instructed by God when he was about to make the tabernacle:
because He said, See that you make everything according to the pattern shown
to you on the mountain.
Hebrews 9:11 But Christ, having come as a high priest of good things
to come, through a greater and more complete tabernacle, not made with
hands, that is not from this creation;
Revelation 15:5 And after that I looked, and the temple of the
tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:
The Scriptures show us that God is very particular about doing things
according to pattern. When He gave Moses the pattern for the Tabernacle He
insisted that it be made exactly according to plan. The writer to the Hebrews
gives us a hint as to why this was so important. He shows that what God
considers important is not necessarily what man considers important. And then
he pulls back the curtain for us so that we can see what God based His pattern
on.
We are told that the tabernacle that Moses set up on earth was simply a
copy of what God had already set up in heaven. This was no new idea that God
had suddenly come up with. It was not the whim of a person who wanted to make
a few changes, and of someone who did not have a clear picture of what he
wanted. God based the pattern that He gave to Moses on a tabernacle that was
already set up and functioning in the Heavenly realm. In other words, the
tabernacle in the wilderness was, for God, just another home away from home.
Those of you who love to fantasize about what Heaven looks like are
probably now trying to picture the Tabernacle in heaven. Perhaps you are
considering some of the visions given to John in the book of Revelation, and
you are trying to identify some of this. What exactly did John see concerning
the heavenly realm and how is this reflected in the church on earth? For many
this kind of thinking leads not only to confusion, but to fear and
misinterpretation.
As we consider now, the Church of Jesus Christ, and what it should look
like, we need to realize that the same principles apply. Jesus was the Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world. And the church actually was a well
guarded secret. Paul tells us that this mystery was so well hidden that it
caught the devil by surprise.
1 Corinthians 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a secret, the hidden
[wisdom], which God foreordained before this age for our glory:
8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known [it],
they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
This is always the way God works. He keeps veiled and hidden away from man,
what He is planning to do, and for a very good reason. If He were to reveal
all of His plans ahead of time, the enemy would find out about them and set
about blocking them. Does that mean that Satan is stronger than God? Not by
any means, but God has confined His works in the earth to the sons of men, and
since Satan has more men following him, it is better that man knows as little
as possible until the time is right.
God makes His plans in secret, and then before He brings them to pass, He
reveals them to a select group of people. Who are they? The ones who are more
spiritual? Perhaps. But rather it is those who are able to hear His voice
clearly and keep His secrets, and then work with Him to bring His plans to
pass. Who are these special people that God chooses to reveal His secrets to?
Amos tells us who they are.
Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, unless he reveals his
secret to his servants the prophets.
The Psalmist David also gives us a hint as to how God works in one of his
psalms. And in this passage he gives us as he often does, a bit of prophetic
insight concerning how God puts together the Body of Christ.
Psalms 139:14 I will praise you; for I am fearfully [and] wonderfully
made: marvelous [are] your works; and my soul knows it very well.
15 My body was not hidden from you, when I was made in secret, [and]
embroided in the lower parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed embryo; and in your book the days predetermined
for me were recorded, before one of them existed.
David is not speaking here about himself, but about a body that is put
together in the bowels of the earth. The body of man is formed in the womb of
his mother, but here we have a picture of a body that was formed when Jesus
descended into the bowels of the earth to finish the work of redemption.
The forming of a baby in the womb is a very good picture of this. We can
all see that it is there, and there is no doubt that it is growing. But what
will it look like? Will it be a boy or will it be a girl? Will it have blue
eyes or brown? Blonde hair or brunette? These are things that will only become
known when the birth takes place. So we prepare for the coming birth, knowing
that a child will be born, but not knowing fully what it will be until the
actual time of birth.
Until the moment of final revelation the baby is invisible to the human
eye, though its movements and existance are very clear. But inside the womb
there is being formed the most perfect creation. Each member has been put into
place and is growing and coming to maturity. Each is already functioning, but
not visible to man. And so also is the Body of Christ. So also is the New
Church that will come forth in God's timing.
And what will the child look like? We are not sure, but one thing is sure.
It is bound to have some characteristics of both mother and father. It is
going to carry a family resemblance. It will be of the same racial group as
the parents. And once it comes forth everyone is going to look to see who it
takes after.
Are you getting the picture? The bottom line here is that God bases the
visible Body of Christ on the invisible Body that is formed, not on the earth,
but in the Heavenly realm. The visible church is made according to pattern,
but the pattern is not to be found on the earth. It is not to be found in an
organization, or in the ideas of man. It is not to be found in the ever
changing cultures and archetypes of men. But it is to be found in the Spirit
of God.
And so Paul continues in the passage we looked at earlier in 1 Corinthians,
with the following words.
1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
neither has it arisen in the heart of man, the things that God has prepared
for those that love him.
10 But God revealed [them] to us through His spirit: for the Spirit
investigates everything, even the deep things of God.
And so to end this discussion on the New Church, I would like to encourage
you to look beyond the ideas of man. Look beyond the ideas of the visible,
Status Quo Church. But look to the Invisible Church that God has formed in the
heavenly realm. Because the visible Church of Jesus Christ is but a picture of
the heavenly church, just as the tabernacle of Moses was a picture of the
heavenly tabernacle. And in the words of the Apostle Paul, I would encourage
you to keep your eyes on that invisible realm of God, from which the New
Church will arise.
2 Corinthians 4:18 While we do not look at the things that are
visible, but at the things which are not visible: for the things which are
visible [are] temporary; but the things which are not visible [are] eternal.
