So today the title of the message is
testify so we're still in with us we still with that series on telly us and
The title is testify or to speak or to prophesy
That's basically where we're going. So
Cut feedback on this should it
Should you hey Brandon, can you turn that towards all the babies?
Yeah
Okay
Evan can I
Go a little lower in volume because if I shout it'll be really shouty. I have a feeling I'll be shouting at some point
Yeah
Let the baby sleep right now, I'll catch them halfway through yeah
Okay, now can you increase it a little
Whatever makes me feel like I'm loud enough
Just the monitors I guess yeah, thanks
Silence in the gallery
Unruly part of the church a that
Okay, so guys post kovat we are heading into a
time of revelations 9 20 to 21
So some of these things I'm saying
being said
From an isekar or a prophetic point of view
So this is one of those statements that post kovat the earth is heading or the globe or the world
We live in is heading into a time of revelations 9
20 and 21 so things are not
This hasn't been a moment that has sobered the earth if anything the earth
Continues with its ways of living and so it says in verse 20 and 21
The rest of mankind when that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands
They did not stop worshipping demons and idols of gold silver bronze stone and wood
Idols that cannot see or hear a walk nor did they repent of the their murders or the shedding of innocent blood
Their magic arts or occult and witchcraft
their sexual immorality or perversity or their thefts and
So if anything this cycle just like in the wash cycle in your washer will
Get more intense
And we talked about this when kovat first started if you go to the messages in March and April
We talked about how some of these things would increase after kovat not decrease and unfortunately, that's
The context in which we find ourselves
So this is the context that acts 29 and churches around will have to play a central role in
we've been talking about how the church is not peripheral to the world, but it's central and
That the world is peripheral to the church and whenever the world has a central whenever the church has a central role to play
Remember it is in the context of greater darkness
So just as Daniel stood in Babylon just as John stood in Patmos against the
Roman Empire just like Paul stood in the midst of Ephesus just as Moses stood in the middle of
Egypt just as Elijah stood in the center of Israel that was that turned away from God
So the context of the church playing a central role is in the context of Revelation 9 20 and 21
where
Idolatry the shedding of innocent blood occult and witchcraft sexual perversity and thefts will increase
this is the
Matrix into which God is asking actually not to step in because it'll be global. It'll be here
and it'll be other parts of the world and
While we don't rub our hands with glee
Because of the things we are stepping into we do rub our hands with glee because this is exactly where Christ makes himself known splendidly
So
In a situation like this part of the governmental makeup of a church which we've been discussing is to behave
Like the two witnesses in revelations 11
Part of the governmental makeup of the church and we talked about this for the last two weeks is to behave
Like the two witnesses in revelations 11 if you go to revelations 11 3 to 13
and
I'll probably park here for the next two weeks
We've been talking about how the church must be the government of God on earth that we should be the government of God on earth
and so
We've kind of begun describing what it looks like and I'm saying to you one of the essential
Makeups of a governmental church is to behave like the two witnesses of revelations 11 3 to 13
So I'm reading revelations 11 3 to 13 and here's what it sounds like
And I will give power to my two witnesses and they will prophesy for
1260 days clothed in sackcloth
These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth
If anyone tries to harm them fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies
This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die
These men have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time
They're prophesying and they have the power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as
often as they want
Now when they have finished their testimony the beasts that comes up from the abyss will attack them and overpower and kill them
Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city
Which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt where also their Lord was crucified
For three and a half days men from every people tribe language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial
The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts
Because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth
But after the three and a half days a breath of life
From God entered them and they stood on their feet and terror struck those who saw them
Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them come up here and they went up to heaven in a cloud while
Their enemies looked on at that very hour
There was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city
Collapsed seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven
the second war has passed the third was soon coming so the
The two witnesses isn't necessarily two prophets that will turn up. It is the nature of the church
How do we know that because in Zechariah talks about the olive and the olive
Trees and the lampstand and it is a picture of the church
We'll talk about that later, but many things will come out of this simple
Ten verses with regard to how can the church be governmental? What does it mean to be clothed in sackcloth?
What does it mean to stand before the Lord? What does it mean to judge the earth?
What does it mean to be like Elijah or Moses?
What does it mean to finish your testimony? What does it mean to be persecuted? What does it mean to be revived again?
We'll talk about this over the next two weeks
But today with regard to the witnesses all I want to say is that there's two things that are distinct about them
They stand before the Lord and
To they speak on his behalf
And that's the second half is what we'll be looking at mostly
these are two distinctives of
These two witnesses which I am saying is a type of the church if a church wants to be
Governmental and the church must be governmental because Christ is head over all things Christ is head of the church
Christ fills the church with his presence Christ speaks through the church Christ acts through the church
Therefore if he is head over all thing and he's head of the church and he speaks in accents fills the church the church has
A pivotal role to play in the affairs of the earth because Zion is a people through whom God issues decrease
We've gone over this before I'm just going it over again so that I'm used to it guys
The reason I repeat these things without even looking at my notes because I've got to be so well versed in what I've been
Talking about so that I know it by heart
So I always have a reason for what I do do you have a reason for what you do
Do you have a reason for what you say?
Do you have a reason it is one thing to believe it is another thing to have a reason for your belief and the reason
Must be scriptural
It can't even be interpretation it has to be simple scripture
Which is why it's important to keep repeating it till you know it
So
One of the things about the two about the church is that about a governmental church is that it stands before the Lord
It stands before the Lord. I love the fact that
There is no speaking on his behalf till there is a standing before him
There is no speaking on his behalf till there is a standing before him and to stand before him on one hand
God makes you righteous so you can stand before him on the other hand Psalm 24 is
Critical if you want to stand before him. It's a mixture of Psalm 24 plus Hebrews 10 22
We'll go over each one. So, you know what it takes to stand before him to stand before him Psalm 24
It's almost you have to think of yourself as one invited to the wedding feast on one hand
Everybody sitting here has been invited to sit before him
On the other hand having received the invitation you have to come to the wedding feast dressed a certain way
Nobody is exempt from the wedding feast. Everybody is welcome. But now that you have come here is how you need to
Dress there's a protocol and so Psalm 24
Gives you the basics of what it takes to stand before God
The earth is the Lord's and everything in it the world and all who live in it for he founded it upon the seas and
established it upon the waters
Who may ascend the hill of the Lord who may stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart
Who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false?
He will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God his Savior such as the generation of those that seek him
Who seek your face of God of Jacob and so standing before him requires that now that I've been invited
That if I want to stand in the holy place
I have clean hands and a pure heart and my soul is not dedicated to any form of idolatry by idolatry
I don't mean actual
Pagan idols it could be idols that I've shaped with my own hands or swear by what is false
These are allowed to stand before
God and if you fall there's Hebrews 10 22 and if you fall there's Hebrews 10 22
If you fall there's Hebrews 10 22 go to Hebrews 10 22
Hebrews 10 22 let's start at verse 19
Therefore brothers since we have confidence to enter the most holy place by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way
Open for us through the curtain that is his body and since we have a great priest over the house of God verse 22
Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts
sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess for he who promised his faithful the great thing about
Falling and standing before God is that the falling and the standing before God has less to do with you and absolutely
everything to do with his faithfulness
Even first John 1 9 brings it out so brilliantly he is faithful and just
It is not even my confession of sins that makes me
Gives me permission to stand before him again. It is that he is faithful and just what is required of me
Jacob can you please come to me with a sincere heart because I know your insincerity
I also know your sincerity. Can you come to me with a sincere heart?
This is what allows us to stand before him a
But today I want to look at what does it take to speak on his behalf
to speak testify prophesy on his behalf
There's no one who's actually exempt from government because there is no one who is actually exempt from the church
If you're here and you're the people of God and God intends to use the church as a means to act speak and
Fill then nobody is exempt
Press into this it's something that the Lord longs for you know
Evangelists have been restored to the church
Teachers have been restored to the church pastors have been restored to the church
Teachers have been restored to the church
Pastors have been restored to the church
Prophets have been restored to the church apostles have to be in restored to the church
But the one thing that is yet to be restored to the church is the governmental nature of the church
It is the next thing that will happen
The equippers have now been restored to the church now the church will learn how to be equipped
two issue decrees as God sees fit that can affect the territories that are given to you.
You would have no problem thinking about this if you were actually elected. Let's assume
that you're in this area and this is Langara and you are standing for elections and by
some strange way you get elected as the new MLA from Langara. You would have no problems
believing that you would have an influence in the affairs of this area. The Defence Minister
of Canada is actually the MP from this area, Sajjan Singh. He makes policy with regard to
weaponry, with regard to when you go for war, when you don't go for war. I must believe that
Jesus Christ, if he says that the church is governmental and is supposed to affect territories
around me, that I actually will begin to believe that. Because if I can believe that of Sajjan Singh,
I must believe it of Jesus Christ. Could you for a moment take your eyes of your own little problems,
which are big in your eyes, but could you take your eyes off your little problems and believe
that just because your little problems aren't yet solved doesn't mean that Christ cannot use you
to affect territories, nations, regions. Between yesterday and today I was sitting down and writing
down the people, the nations, the regions that have been affected by my simple obedience. Simple
obedience. Nothing fancy. Simple obedience of going and speaking. I'm fascinated as I put the list out.
We'll get there. The way God has us testify, prophesy and speak in the present is by first
showing us the end. Because the present is really ugly. The end is very different from where things
are at. What God has as a picture of the end is very different. I mean look at Eliana. You think
her end will be like this? Do you know what a beautiful end this child has? We have no idea.
Right now all she can do is eat, sleep, poo. ESP. Just one second.
Yeah so you have to see the end from the beginning so that you can work towards it. One of the things
that will happen with Eliana is that she'll sense things early. She'll sense things early. You know
you have this AVAC planes, A-W-A-C. You see them when you're going to SeaTac. They are these planes
with big round umbrella like things over. And AVAC basically means early warning and control.
And one of the things that will happen with this child is that she'll have the ability to sense
things early and that's a good part where she'll be able to sense situations. Sense people before
she's actually in the situation. Before she knows people. Even at a young age she will know who to
approach who not to. The kind of people and the kind of situations she can and she cannot step
into. The so-called negative part of it is that Eliana will try to control outcomes because she
knows what awaits. One of the things Matt and Rachel will have to learn how to do is help her
not to be controlling so that she lets things happen. Another thing about this child is that
she'll take up causes. She'll take up causes and she'll escalate these causes rapidly because she'll
have a skill to assemble people. If she and her brother are standing in a group of ten people,
her brother will have a different skill set but this girl will have ten people eating out of her
hand very easily. You'll see this when she grows up. You'll see it in a couple of years. She'll know
how to escalate causes very rapidly. It might be save the ants or something or the termites
but she'll know how to get a whole group of people together to save the termites. So on one hand,
that is a huge advantage. Criticism will be water off a duck's back for this child. You can criticize
her and she'll say... One of the things that the parents will have to watch out for is that she
will know how to change an atmosphere by deflecting or blunting what was meant to harm and she'll step
into situations early in life where she can walk into a room that is tense, where there's a lot of
fighting going on, argument and she has this amazing ability to walk into a room and deflect
or blunt the harm in the place so that the atmosphere changes rapidly. If there is a
beatitude that I would associate with this child, it would be blessed are the peacemakers. Blessed
are the peacemakers. Which child is making all this noise? The same one I'm talking about? Oh my
Lord. This is why I said the end is very different from the beginning. God's word associations are
very different from ours. If I called out this word, let's see what your word association would be.
Army. General, Navy. One more time, let's try. Army. See, but when, if you threw the word army,
okay let's say vast army. Any associations? Surprisingly with God it is bones. Bones. We
don't realize how extreme God is. When God says army, his association, word association will be
bones. Vast army, valley of bones. We don't realize, we haven't realized. We get very excited with a
shoulder pain disappearing or stuff like that and it is good. These are critically important things
when your shoulder is paining. But we don't realize the alpha and omega-ness of this God and therefore
we fall short in government. When I see a valley of bones, he sees a vast army. One of the cleverest
ploys of the enemy is to help lower the expectation that children can have of everything so that God
is a far cry. So right from when you're a kid, you are forced to lower your expectations so that you
can never ask or imagine Efficiency 20. It's out of question. It is a killer. It is a killer. Either
your parents help you do that or circumstances just completely lower your expectations. Government
is run through seeing ends even though you're in the midst of a valley of bones. So if you go to
Ezekiel 37.1. Ezekiel 37.1. Ezekiel 37.1. Ezekiel 37.1. The hand of the Lord was upon me and he brought
me out by the spirit and the Lord set me in the middle of a valley. The hand of the Lord was upon
me and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley. So guys,
the first thing is the hand of Yahweh speaks of overwhelming force with which you are seized by
God. Whenever the Bible talks about the hand of the Lord is upon me, it's not something casual. It
is this overwhelming force with which God seizes someone. And here is a statement I want you to
remember because I think it is critical if we can get this that God seizes those lives. God seizes
those lives he can help himself to. He can help himself to at will. You want the hand of the Lord
upon you? Ask yourself this question. Is my life the kind of life that he can help himself to at
will? Whenever the Bible talks about the hand of the Lord was upon me, you will find a character
who's gotten to a place where God can help himself to that life at will. We pass quickly
past that the hand of the Lord was upon me because we use it so frequently that it loses
its meaning but it is the overwhelming force of God by the spirit that seizes someone to do
something ridiculously impossible. There are four things that you need to surrender if you want to
be a man like this. The first one is I have to surrender who I am. Second one is I have to surrender
where I go. Third one is I have to surrender what I have. And the fourth one is I have to surrender
what I say. I no longer have the freedom of self-determination when it comes to these four
things. Great time to do stuff like this. If it's your birthday today, man, these are some of the
things that you can really step into. God willing, we'll respond to these four things towards the end
of the teaching. But if you want to be, if I want to be a man that God can seize, then I have to be
a man who he can help himself to at will and it requires a surrender of who I am as in my identity
but be that my identity come from vocation or from any other thing. Where I go as in are my feet
willing to go anytime, anywhere, at any cost to wherever he sends me. What I have as in my security,
my money, my bank account and everything that I have at his disposal. And the last one is what I
say. Where I cannot amend what he wants me to say and doesn't matter how unpopular, how contradictory,
how at opposition it puts me. These are four things that allows you to become a man on whose
hand God, on whose head God's hand can rest because he seizes you. Any questions? Any questions?
Any questions? The first thing that God will do when he leads you back and when he leads you into
this valley of bones and so by valley of bones I mean he shows you where you are presently. And
one of the things he does is he wants you to get so accustomed to the reality of your situation.
Look at what he does with Ezekiel. He says, Ezekiel I'm going to take you to this valley. It was a
known valley. It wasn't a random valley. Ezekiel goes to this valley and God doesn't show him a
bird's eye view. He puts him in the valley. In the valley he takes him back and forth. The Bible says
and God took him back and forth. The spirit of God took him back and forth and around so he could
see the bones glistening in the sun. We do not operate with God by avoiding our present reality.
We get so used to it that it breaks your heart or it makes you wear sackcloth or it does something
to you. That the bones lay on the surface of the valley meant that whoever threw those bodies there
meant to impose upon those bodies the indignity of a curse because it says in Deuteronomy 28 verse 25
that any man whose body is left to the scavenging birds is a man who is cursed.
It wasn't buried. It was just left there. It was an indignity. It was supposed to be
a way to make sure that a corpse and the family that the corpse belonged to was cursed.
Then God goes on to let Ezekiel know, hey Ezekiel do you realize that these bones are extremely dry?
They've been here far too long. They're long dead with no life force and they're hopelessly dead.
While he's showing Ezekiel the reality of his situation, God's doing something else and please
understand this. I'll go over this again if you need to. This is the way God operates. He shows
you a very dead situation that isn't showing any life. He shows you the ins and outs on it. He
exposes it. He brings it to the open and as you look at it, he at the same time begins to show you
the end. It is not one or the other. In verse 5 and 6 of 37 you realize that as God is taking him
through the valley up and down the bones, he's also showing him, hey this will live, this will live,
this will live, this will live. This is the way God operates. You've got to think like this.
Take any situation in your life which is a valley of bones now, indignity, curses, bondages,
unbroken, continuous, long dead, hopeless, glistening in the sun, bleached, irretrievable
and as he begins to show you the condition of those bones, he is also saying, let me show you
what's going to happen. Let me show you what's going to happen. It is at the same time
what happens with us and may it not happen to this church. This church is far too grown up to go
through this again and again and again and if you do go through it, snap out of it quickly by asking
for help and so while he's showing you the bones, he's also showing you the end from the beginning.
He does this in Deuteronomy chapter 9. You would think to yourself, how could you do this oh God?
Deuteronomy chapter 9. Look at how it starts. Deuteronomy chapter 9 verse 1 to 3. Verse 1 and
2 are, let me show you the bones. Verse 3, let me show you the end. This is not at all inspiring.
Here oh Israel, you are now about to cross the Jordan. Hallelujah, they start shouting. To go
in and dispossess nations greater and stronger than you with large cities that are walls up to
the sky. Now they're beginning to pant and shiver. The people are strong and tall,
Anarchites. You know about them and if you don't know, then let me tell you what I have heard about
them. Who can stand up against the Anarchites? But be assured that today the Lord your God,
the one who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire, he will destroy them. He will
subdue them. You will drive them out. You will annihilate them as the Lord has promised you. It
is this thing where God always shows you this is what the true reality is Jacob. But as I'm showing
you this true reality, can you just look up and can you see what I have in store? Can you see what
I have in store? Problem with the church is you keep looking down and you see nothing changing.
You have to see the end before the present changes. You have to see the end before the
present changes. Otherwise you don't even know what you're expecting change as. You don't even
know what you expect to change. Let him show you what he can do. Let him show you what he can do.
Otherwise your expectations are at best slightly better than mine which is like pointless.
This is what Abraham did. He knows that he's in a tent. He knows that he's left his clan country.
Hebrews chapter 11 verse 9 or thereabouts. While he knows that God is also saying listen I know
you're on a journey from the Ur of Chaldees. You've come out. You've left everybody behind.
You even left Lot behind and I know you're journeying. You look at your tent and you think
to yourself is this what I bargained for? But let me show you. Let me show you the end. And Abraham
looks and he sees a city that an architect has built. A city that is indescribable. A city that
no hands have made and he suddenly is filled with enough moxie to see through.
You might think that this is just a fancy way of putting it but one of the reasons Jesus endured
the cross was for the joy that was set before him and part of it was the father's joy. Part of it
was to see the joy of me and Jeremy, Isaac and Sue and Blessy and Eva and Echo being drawn back
to the Lord. You must understand that it is that kind of end picture that allows you to keep
marching towards it. What is your end picture for what you are at present completely embedded in?
You've been embedded in it for years. So much so that you smell of it. People have to go by and
they know the aroma they can get off you as they walk by because you've been so embedded in it.
It is easy for a preacher to stand here and say stuff like this
but there is a God who wants you to think like this where you begin to see the end picture.
So what if you're not alive to see it? You will see the end picture even if you're not alive to see it.
I have an end picture for the church. I'm not talking about Acts 29. I have an end picture for
what the church will look like in 20 years, 30 years, 40 years. I dreamt what I see right now.
I dreamt what I see when Jane leads worship. I dreamt what I see when Jeevan does Nandigama.
I dreamt what I see when Karen and Sue come to preach, come to pray. I dreamt this. I dreamt
this when we were two people. I dreamt nations. I dreamt nations. I dreamt kings. I dreamt rulers.
I dreamt the changing of territories. I dreamt the taking of nations.
Why am I so excited? Because God is faithful but I must see the end picture
and 20 years from now or 30 years from now I still know what the end picture is and 30 years from now
if I am not alive it does not matter because I have seen the end picture and I will have enough
faith to bring it a pass even if you bury me. You got to see the end picture.
Other religions do. Other religions plan 100 years in advance so that the balance of power will shift
so that certain nations that they used to rule over will come back into their territory. 100 years
they don't mind waiting. They'll die for it but they will wait to see. 100 years from now
the same rulers who once used to rule certain parts of Europe and certain parts of Asia
their hope is that it'll come back again.
Companies plan far beyond their founders.
And while he's showing you the end from the beginning here's something else he does which is so
so
god-ish but so sneaky is not the word so I don't know the right word. As you wrestle through the
contradiction of where you are at and what the end picture is God begins to ask you a question and
the question is can this happen? Can this happen? Can this happen? And he expects a reply.
He asks you a question and the question is can this happen? Can this happen? Can this happen?
And he expects a reply. So while he's showing him the value of bones he's also showing him the end
picture in verse 5 and 6 and yet he's also asking Ezekiel a question. Hey Ezekiel do you think these
bones can live? Do you think these bones can live? Do you think these bones can live? He's
showing you the end picture. He's also showing you the present and even though he's showing you the
the end picture. He's deliberately asking you a question, can these bones live? Can
these bones live? Can these bones live? And Ezekiel tries to get out. He tries to
disengage. He says, oh you know God and God will not settle for a disingenuous
reply like, oh whatever you will oh God, oh you know God. He does not allow that.
He wants to hear whether what I have shown you is enough for you to believe
Jacob. What are your words now? What does your mouth speak? And initially
Ezekiel's reaction is, oh you know a lot and God doesn't let him get away with
that. A disingenuous reply like, only you know God or your will be done won't cut
it. He asks a question expecting a reply. Die speaking what God has shown you so
that the ones you are speaking it about will live.
And once he begins to see that Ezekiel is moving away from whatever you will or
God to, I will do what you command. Now he says call the dry bones to attention
on my behalf. Guys this is what government is about, on my behalf. On my
behalf. I want to do things on his behalf. I want to be the one who fills the room
with his presence because he fills the church with his presence. I want to be
the one who acts on his behalf because he acts through the church. I want to be
the one who speaks on his behalf because he speaks through the church on his
behalf. Call the dry bones to attention on my behalf. On my behalf always starts
with simple obedience to a simple command. On my behalf always starts with
simple obedience to a simple command. It does not start in some profound way. It
is simple obedience to a simple command without any need to understand. Without
any need to understand. That goes beyond your limitations. Your limitations are
not going to prevent you from obeying. Your limitations begin to disappear as
you obey and take one step, one step, one step. That is when leprosy disappears.
That is when water holds you up. Water holds you up and lepers begin to get
cleansed as you begin to walk because everything that you do on his behalf
starts with one simple act of obedience to one simple command. I can reel off
simple commands that I obeyed. Go to Jakarta even though you're flying to
Bahrain. Go tonight to Jakarta. Changes the direction of East Java and the
effect that this church had in Indonesia for years because one simple command to
go to Jakarta to meet the Sultan of Java on a day that he's desperate to
prophesy over him changes the nature. One simple command go to Ulaanbaatar. You
don't know anybody there. Check into a hotel and wait there and even today
there's a course called the Tellyos Bible course that is being done across
Mongolia that you guys participated in that has been translated into the
language then from one end of Mongolia to the other. Go meet the person in
charge of West Java. Three of us fly there. Simple command. Do not know what
is going to happen. Go connect with Jeevan and let Jeevan have the freedom to run
so that a 4,000 year old curse that disallows a certain community from
buying land is broken and a whole gate or portal now opens for generations and
generations for another thousand years if the Lord tarries of people that were
not allowed for 4,000 years now being allowed. What has been permitted in
heaven will be permitted on earth when a people decide that they will obey a
simple command and act on his behalf and what is forbidden in heaven can be
forbidden on earth. I can't... the only reason I'm not going into each
story is because I've told these stories many times over. But this
government thing is real and it happens to simple people who obey a simple
command on his behalf but before you do anything learn how to stand before the
Lord man. God loves restoring physical life and he loves reviving spiritual
life. God loves restoring physical life. He loves reviving spiritual life. This
government is benevolent. It restores physical life. It revives spiritual
lives. This government is benevolent. It restores physical lives. It revives
spiritual lives. It's the main agenda of this government. It reverses
decomposition. I mean those bones have been lying there. It reverses
decomposition and starts restoring flesh. Listen to these words. Audible words
spoken into the invisible will eventually burst forth in sight and
sound. Audible words, audible words spoken into the invisible will eventually burst
forth, will eventually burst forth in sight and sound.
Audible words spoken into the invisible will eventually burst forth in sight and sound. God is going to help you and Jaya to distill the way you speak. Distill, as in where all the sediments that need to be removed from the
council or advice or conversations that you have with people and with each other will be distilled so that every other sediment of the past of a certain way of thinking, of cultural, traditional, denominational, religious,
intellectual, experiential council will suddenly be removed and all that will be left is a pure sediment, is a pure distilled form of council that God is going to use you to do the work of
council will suddenly be removed and all that will be left is a pure sediment, is a pure distilled form of council that God is going to use you both for. You just said you finished your 18th anniversary. Well, for the next 12 years till you actually have your 30th anniversary, enjoy advising and counseling those that will say surely they must have been with Jesus.
That is one of the things he wants to do with you and so be very deliberate about seething cultural, intellectual, denominational, religious, experiential sediments so that all that is left is the pure distilled version of God's council and they'll come to you in droves and their response will always be these must have spent time with Jesus.
Just as they said of the disciples, uneducated bunch of fishermen, these must have spent time with Jesus. This is something God will begin to use you tremendously and it will be an ever enlarging circle.
Guys, audible words spoken into the invisible will eventually burst forth in sight and sound. Any questions?
All those incidents that Jeevan mentioned where situations were happening and then we would pray was basically speaking audible words into the invisible and watching results change in two days and three days, decreeing what needs to be decreed as the word of God from the church upon territories, upon powers, upon deities saying,
release, saying be gone, saying burst forth, saying come forth.
Authority and morality go hand in hand, build both up, it's brilliant and as Ezekiel discovers suddenly think of being in this valley say somebody at Grouse Mountain or I can't remember the last valley I was in but look at a valley and think of it full of bones and then think of his words that he's speaking and as he
begins to speak these words the strangest thing happens, he hears bone begin to rise and knock against bone and there's a rattling and the bones begin to fit and it's not a random fitting, it is a very proper fitting as bone finds bone correctly and connects and even as he watches sinew and flesh begin to cover it and these bones now become corpses that begin to come alive, that begin to come alive and then he sees bones and he sees bones and he sees bones and he sees bones and he sees bones and he sees bones and he sees bones and he sees bones and he sees bones and he sees bones and he sees bones and he sees bones and he sees bones and he sees bones and he sees bones and he sees bones and he sees bones and he sees bones and he sees bones and he sees bones and he sees bones and he sees bones and he sees bones and he sees bones and he sees bones and he sees bones and he sees bones and he sees bones and he sees bones and he sees bones and he sees bones and he sees bones and he sees bones and he sees bones and
begins to literally come alive. Ezekiel's never done this before. Sometimes God will take you and put you in a very huge situation or he'll start you with something small, he knows the level of your faithfulness. So don't think you'll start at the bottom of the rung. The kingdom has no bottom rungs, it just
has assignments and these assignments and the domain you have increases with
faithfulness. There's no ladder that you have to climb up but there's faithfulness
which allows you to increase your domain.
In rapid response to the word Ezekiel marvels as bone rattles on bone fitting
properly and just as it looks like it's going to come together in verse 8 you
see that the whole process is about to collapse and abort because there is no
breath in the bones. So imagine these bodies being put together. Suddenly you
see your grandfather, you see your nephew, you see your grandmother, you see your
great-grandmother, all their bodies restored, flesh coming over their faces.
It's like one of those movies where CSI puts back finds a skull and puts flesh
over it and you know aha this looks like Derek and so it's that kind of a thing.
Sorry Derek. So it's that kind of a sense but just as you think things are
now on the upswing it looks like it's going to abort because there is no
breath in the bones and this is where we as Christians just do not know how to
persist. Persistence is alert discipline and enduring patience. Alert discipline
and enduring patience. Persistence alert discipline and enduring patience. Alert
discipline as in I'm not going to back off I'm alert to this. I know this thing
has come together it suddenly looks like it's going to abort again but instead of
being frightened of that I'm going to persist because what he has said I'm
fully persuaded can happen. Get up Jacob. So you don't throw away your confidence
because the just shall only live by faith and they shall not live by anything
else but faith. Faith that sees, faith that speaks. You know tomorrow it'll be
27 years since I came to Canada. I just realized I've lived almost half my life
in Canada but one of the things that happened when I was immigrating to
Canada and things looked completely wrong and most of you have heard that
story is is that there was one thing that I persisted in with alert discipline
and with enduring patience that God said he would bring me to this land. My God
will bring me to this land. It didn't matter which pastor I met. It didn't
matter which prophet I met. It didn't matter which senior Christian I met who
came and said to me use your head. God does use logic. Operate with logic. The
continuous declaration of my lips was but God said and it must come to pass
and do you know how much this nation has benefited? Do you know how many nations
have benefited because of that one stance? You think I couldn't say no and
walk away? The prophetic and destiny is not inevitable. It is conditional and the
condition is simple obedience.
You know one of the things I find not good about this generation of young
people is that not too many are finishers. When I look at the older ones
here you realize that one of the things you learned if you're over 40 is that
you knew how to finish. This generation is great and starting stuff.
They love starting stuff every third week but the ability to endure through
routine and through the drab and through nothing happening and no recognition and
finishing it man that is an apostolic Holy Spirit quality to finish. Desire that
more than anything else to finish.
Withstand the mocking spirit. We talked about this yesterday. At the end of the
day I said no not at the end of the day at the beginning of this teaching I
said the title for this teaching is testify to speak to prophesy. Guys we are
so blessed we are so blessed. I give praise to God I thank God that this
church has in its core DNA the ability to prophesy the respect for the prophetic
the unction to prophesy the spirit of prophecy it was born in this church it
was when this church was born we were born with that. We don't know we don't
realize how blessed we are that this is a natural part of our being but we will
be called to account and God will come and look at the tree and say now that
you have grown show me the fruit and the fruit is no longer personal prophecy the
fruit is can you prophesy to the nations.
I'm pressing this hard on stuff like this because I see the end for us too
and there are different ends. God shows you an end one year from now God
shows you an end ten years from now and he would prefer that we finish it in the
time frame that he has allotted.
So don't stop halfway withstand the mocking spirit that's his great so you think this
can actually happen great so you saw the end picture how many years has it been
Jacob 13 14 40 how many years and you hear that mocking spirit.
You know there was a guy called Rabshakeh don't name your son that Rabshakeh
Isaiah 36 Isaiah 36 he he reveals something that we need to know Isaiah 36
really smart ploy this was Isaiah 36 verse 2 to 9 then the king of Assyria
sent his field commanders with a large army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at
Jerusalem when the commander stopped at the aqueduct of the upper pool on the
road to Washerman's field Eliakim son of Hilkeah remember who Eliakim is we talked
about him last week Isaiah 22 22 Eliakim was the guy who had the keys on his
shoulders he carried government on his shoulders yet look what is happening to
him now. Eliakim son of Hilkeah the palace administrator Shebna the
secretary Joah the son of Asaph the recorder went out to him the field
commander said to them tell Hezekiah this is what the great king the king of
Assyria says on what are you basing this confidence of yours
oh which one is it man all the parents are denying that it's their child.
Jeeva go show your face no so the field commander said to them tell has my god
the very name of Jeevan. That's that's that's for those who don't know Greek
that's a that's a dialogue from a Hindi movie where the villain speaks Greek
yeah yeah pardon that at night in the village when the child refuses to sleep
the mum says child go to sleep otherwise Jeevan will turn up no the
actual name of the guy is Gabbar he's like this he was the most amazing villain
that ever existed nobody's been like him before ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha yeah
gosh we're going somewhere completely different we've is he kill 36 I mean the
children have gone quiet that's good as he killed 36 verse 4 the field commander
said to them tell Hezekiah this is what the great king the king of Assyria says
on what on what are you basing this confidence of yours you say you have
strategy and military strength but you speak only empty words on whom are you
depending that you rebel against me look now you're depending on Egypt that
splintered read of a star which pierces a man's hand and wounds him if he leans on
it the point here is he says to Israel hey Israel do you really think that your
words can help you he's trying to take away the only weapon Israel has words
and then he is using words to intimidate them but he's taking away the only
weapon there he had they have if you read the other versions it says do you
think your words will amount to anything Rapshaka has the ability to come
to you and say hey Emily you've been praying for a while and declaring things
how's it going with you hey Roslyn how are things changing for you hey Jacob
how long have you been saying stuff has anything happened you think your words
will amount to anything you think your words are weaponry you think your words
are strategy it's the only thing I have it is the only thing I have all I have
is words you know when I was watching the looking at the lyrics of the song
so will I everything there is words just words so Ezekiel has a valley full
of slain corpses but no breath and then in the ISV verse 9 puts it this way then
he ordered me Yahweh ordered me prophesy to the spirit son of man tell
the spirit this is what the Lord God says come from the four winds and breathe
I often go and ask the Holy Spirit whenever there's a situation Spirit of
God so what are you saying I want to say that I want to say that I'll ask the
Holy Spirit what do I need to speak into the situation what do I need to first
see in the situation and once I see it what do I need to speak two questions
that I always ask father what do I need to see in the situation father what do I
need to speak in this situation what I see is what I will speak everything in
life is it is the only way to deal with it show me another way to deal with it
please I'm asking genuinely show me another biblical way of dealing things
with things other than going this route show me how Jesus did it show me how any
of the other guys from Joshua Moses all the guys in the Old Testament show me
guys in the New Testament show me how else they did it other than seeing what
the spirit was showing and he's very willing to show and then speaking what
the spirit is speaking show me another way and it has to be audible it has to
be audible it's tiring work guys he ordered me prophesied to the spirit
son of man tell the spirit so what you're doing is you're asking the spirit
of God what to say and then you're agreeing with him and after agreeing
with him you're speaking here there's this very cool verse in Hosea 2 verse 20
to 22 where God says I'll answer the skies this I'll answer the heavens the
heavens will answer the earth the earth with rain the rain will answer the
ground and the ground will produce new oil wine and grain it's this virtuous
cycle that begins with God speaking I will answer the heavens the heavens shall
answer the earth with rain the rain shall answer the earth and cause grain
new wine and oil and they shall answer Jezreel as in whatever you saw that you
will get back in bountifully Hosea 2 verse 20 to 22 speak your words can
transform exceedingly numerous bones into an exceedingly vast army speak Psalm
29 the voice of the Lord is powerful the voice of the Lord is majestic the voice
the earth the voice of the Lord births new life the voice of the Lord strips
bare the voice of the Lord rules the waves let me go through that again
Psalm 29 verse 3 onwards the voice of the Lord is powerful the voice of the
Lord is kingly royal majestic the voice of the Lord shakes the deserts the earth
the voice of the Lord strips bare that which needs to be broken or dismantled
the voice of the Lord births new things the voice of the Lord rules over the
turmoil or the turbulence of the waves the voice of the Lord and then when
Jacob begins to agree with the spirit and begins to say the very things that
the voice of the Lord is saying permitting things here on earth as they
are permitted in heaven forbidding things on earth as they are forbidden in
heaven and as he does three things at the same time look at the bones realize
they are bleached in the Sun look at the end picture realize what God is for
doing and then listen to the voice in his ear which says Jacob do you think
this will happen can this happen can this happen and out of Jacob's heart
first from his spirit and then from his heart and then from his mind comes this
resounding agreement with God saying yes it can and then I begin to prophesy with
the spirit and people change situations change families change bodies change
nations change regions change governors are lifted up kings are brought down the
destiny of nations are shifted someone asked me once why I haven't written a
book yet simply because I cannot reveal what actually happened because I'll
never be allowed back into those places again because if I put down any name or
any place then I cannot go back there again any questions
sorry as opposed to hearing and obeying yes but one of the things that God
requires in the anatomy of faith is believe no first it starts with see
believe speak act this is the anatomy of faith if you were to dissect faith it
sees or hears and then it believes as in it's an unshakable conviction which you
will not amend which you will not step back from and then there is a confessing
or a speaking of what you believe Paul said it himself I believe therefore I
speak God said it himself in Psalm 60 or 61 once have I heard it twice as God
spoken and then there is the acting part of it which is a preemptive acting in the
knowledge that what you have seen believed and now spoken will come to
pass so I might as well get going because I know what awaits
yep the sign language fulfill the idea of being audible
yeah so symbols sometimes speak louder than words symbols can speak louder than words and so if you
want to include sign language and being symbolic sure man the symbols that Jacob would set up when
he knew that layman was tricking him and his cattle would multiply the symbols that were set
up on the journey through the desert Abraham's altars those altars were symbols that were calling
on the name of God or a character of God that would be exemplified over the next phase of the
journey or was exemplified in the journey past symbols are powerful too any questions guys
you know in the movie karate kid they make you do that that's what we are doing here I just want
you to get so used to speaking I just want you to get so used to speaking and occasionally
remove your eyes from your personal situations your personal situations cannot become the
plumb line for the kingdom my ailment cannot be the plumb line for whether I believe for
something profound to happen to 300 people in some other country I would love for my ailment
to be undone to oh who is this yeah Eliana is allowed yeah my ailment cannot be the plumb line
for my refusal to fully participate in something much greater is there not a cause is there not
a cause please don't look at your personal situation and opt out because you haven't seen
the reality in your life all that has to happen then is to preempt anything you do by sending you
something that doesn't work out immediately the devil doesn't even have to oppose you he just has
to delay things just has to delay things any questions okay so here's how I want to end
seeing and hearing is both the same yeah seeing and hearing is the same when I say see or hear
I just mean God conveying his thoughts Jesus put it this way in John 520 I only see what I hear my
father I only I only do what I see my father doing but in verse 30 he says I only speak what
I hear my father speaking yeah guys here's how we want one more question say that again
no when the scripture that says people are blessed when they believe without seeing it's
talking about Christ but otherwise when we walk our daily walks we are supposed to see what Christ
wants us to see so that we can walk in it those scriptures are different yeah