A lot has changed over the past few years, not least who it is we ‘hang out’ with!
It’s as if our Father has taken a pack of playing cards, shuffled them and redealt us a hand. When we glance down, we are surprised at who is in that hand …and who isn’t!
More than just a rearrangement……. we are experiencing a whole ‘paradigm shift’!
Bob Jones alluded to this in the prophecy I posted in the last blog. He said,
“What He’s doing right now in the church is uniting whosoever will with one another. Because these weapons being released cannot be handled by one person. It will take teams to handle them and usually TEAMS consist of about twelve people. These teams will be united with one purpose in mind and when they go to war they will make decrees and declarations according to the heart of the Father. These decrees will be established according to the will of the Father.”
You shall also decide and decree a thing, and it shall be established for you; and the light [of God’s favor] shall shine upon your ways. (Job 22:28).
When people ask me, “What church do you belong to?” I know they often expect a ‘cultural’ rather than biblical answer as we acknowledge membership in a denominational (including non-denominational denomination!) organization that we have joined, that probably has as it’s primary focus a meeting on a Sunday, in a building.
This is one aspect of the paradigm shift that God has been accelerating through events over the last few years, as we find ourselves going ‘Back to the Future” rediscovering a more New Testament model where ‘church’ is identified primarily as a ‘kingdom’ lifestyle out of a family/ home base, where God elects to ‘joint’ people as members of an ‘organic’ body which is a source of life and a setting for service
……… as Bob said, ‘teams of about twelve people’…..“united with one purpose”. That purpose is ultimately to bring to the world, “the light of God’s favor”
I was reflecting last night on how we now find ourselves in a number of such ‘teams”– diverse and different, and sometimes overlapping.
These team members seem more conscious than ever that they need to be, ‘lead together by the Holy Spirit’ (Matt. 18:20) to walk together in the light and in covenant relationship, in mutual availability and vulnerability.
As Dr Zelenko points out, we are every moment, individually and collectively being ‘vivified’, and albeit less dramatically than in his miraculous testimony, have been spared…..‘for such a time as this’
It is as we look down at the hand our Father has dealt us, we see the TEAM/S he has given us to work with in these pivotal days. In one of these groups the other night someone had a vision of ‘circles around camp fires’
On a broader front we are also finding in this new paradigm, our TRIBE.
In the above video Dr. Zalenko tells the story of his 4 year old daughter saying to him,
‘Daddy you are my brother”
“How is that ?” he asks her.
“Well if God is your Father and he is my Father that makes you my brother!”
Amused, he acknowledges his daughter has just shown him some truth about their relationship he hadn’t realized before!
Nowadays we find ourselves relating with people in a broader TRIBE, we would not have expected….people like this brilliant Orthodox Jewish truth teller from New York.
The spiritual battle we have been engaged in over the last few years defies ‘natural’ fault lines such as religion or politics, class, race or culture. This war is between good and evil, over what is true and what is false.
The good doctor speaks very plainly in this powerful message that the issue that will unite us in purpose is our commitment to ‘Rise Up’ and stand for ‘truth’ as we choose to fear no man but serve God alone.
This drives home the point that the sort of ‘faith’ Jesus prized was not primarily theological orthodoxy but a living trust in a sovereign God.
The man most honored by Jesus for his faith was a Roman centurion. He likely followed the religion of the day but when Jesus encountered him for the first time on the road his words of approval (without regard to what his ‘beliefs’ were) rang out, “I have not seen such faith in all Israel!”
Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart where faith resides, and if we seek to look with his eyes he will help us discern those who are of this TRIBE of truth and faith. (Which I might add, is not the same as ‘the church crowd’!)
……for Jesus said, “Whoever is of the Truth hears my voice.” and Paul added, “Faith comes by hearing.”
If you have read this blog thus far (having not previously hit the’Unsubscribe’ button!) you may be on one of these TEAMS I’m in…… and are probably part of this TRIBE. Thank you for still being here!
We do find ourselves in these days of shaking apart, that we might be shaken together, with some unlikely folk…….. who are still thinking critically and searching for that truth.
As a friend said to me the other day,
“I never thought I’d been listening to Russel Brandon in bed at night!…….STRANGE BEDFELLOW!!”
This is not to say that I am suggesting you accept everything, everyone I have named or linked to on the blog says……not at all! The ‘discernment of spirits’ I spoke about last week is more important than ever in these days.
For example, the ‘packaging’ on this link around Dr Zelenko’s address I found unhelpful. Similarly the next video I’m sharing below about ‘mass formation’ I can track with until the last song! I believe it is a very different song that will set us all free – more akin to the song I’ve posted at the very end, from our grandchildren’s uplifting and heartwarming Festival of Lessons and Carols today!
Ultimately that song to liberate the whole of creation will be the ‘new song’ of Revelation 14:13….. which I believe we are beginning to learn to sing!
Hallelujah!
VERSE 3
But now sleep, Son of God
We’ll watch in awe
You’ll fulfill the Father’s plan
Reconciling God and man
Now Your promises to keep
Must sleep
Chorus
Sovereign One
Born as Mary’s son
Prince of Peace
One day You’ll deliver me
Deliver me
P.S. As always, we appreciate all your comments and any questions.
Love always,
Paul (and Hilary)