Shreveport, LA. Conference

02/20/03 - 02/23/03

 

INTRODUCTION

 

q       Explain the terms In Christ–(The book)

Ephesians 2:6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

 

q       FROM; OR OUT OF

 

John 8:42  Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.

 

q       Explain In Christ  (LID)

Romans 8:2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

 

q       THROUGH-(INSTRUMENTALITY)

2 Corinthians 1:1  Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:

 

q       INTO

John 14:12  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

 

 

The Word of God

 

I Tim 1:3  As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine,

2 Timothy 1:13  Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

(Greek: Hold fast to the model of healthy or wholesome words, which thou hast heard from me. 

·         Many of us can remember building a model car or airplane. Once we had the model built we mounted it up high on a shelf for all to see.  We must likewise have the Word of God as one of the primary models in our lives mounted high before our eyes. This model of the gospel must be built out of something that is called sound words.

·            “Sound words” is a medical term that means healthy or wholesome. Sound words are healthy because they are true or are in accordance with what is factual concerning the Word of God. 

·                It is impossible for us to build a model of healthy words that we can frame before our eyes to unless we know the Word of God in truth or in accordance to fact. To know the Word of God in fact implies that we must do some serious study of the Word before we can truly know it in truth.

Titus 2:7  In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,

·               Incorruptness: Our knowledge of the Word of God must be so thorough that our teaching cannot be subject to the decay of time, error, or the opposition that comes from those that challenge our teaching.  When we live in accordance to a model of God’s incorrupt doctrine, our doctrine will finally vindicate us even if the whole wide world says that we are wrong. The Lord will lift us up and put those that oppose us to shame. 

·                Incorruptness must stand the test of eternity in that an incorrupt nature cannot be subject to decay. Our knowledge and obedience to the Word of God will have an everlasting impact on our lives.  Let us look at the following scripture;

 

2      Tim 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

·                      Inspiration: All scripture is God breathed and is therefore profitable for teaching

·                   Reproof:  Intimate knowledge of the scriptures brings correction to us by exposing sin and blind spots in our life. If we heed to the exposure brought to us through the Word it will brings us freedom in Christ.

·                  Correction : Correction here means to be restored to an upright state resulting in salvation.  Do you notice the order?  Reproof brings exposure of sin.  If we heed we start to become free. As we become free the Word of God then starts to restore us to an upright state.

·                  Instruction:  This talks about mentoring and discipling and the final release into our ministry. Exposure, restoration, mentoring, and call to ministry. 

17  That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Greek: The man or woman of God becomes thoroughly equipped and furnished by the Word of God for every Spirit led work; The man or woman of God is equipped and fitted with every necessary piece of equipment by the Word of God for anything that the Lord might have for him or her require to do.

·         When we went to battle Sadam Hussein in the Persian Gulf in great part we won because we were thoroughly equipped with the best of arms, technique, and personnel.  It is our deep knowledge of God’s Word that furnishes us with the spiritual equipment necessary to successfully carry out God’s holy missions.

     1Tim2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto(INTO) the knowledge (EPIGNOSIN) of the truth. 

Philemon 1:6  That the communication (fellowship) of thy faith may become effectual (ENERGES) by the acknowledging (FULL KNOWLEDGE) of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.

John 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 

q       Jesus is telling us, is the truth shall free us in the exact proportion to the accurate understanding and performance that we have of it. Our misunderstanding of scriptures through error, a lack of meditation or study, or because we have turned them into a “doctrine of men” will not free us. 

John 1:1 ¶ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

 Greek: In the beginning was the logos, and the logos was in fellowship and communion with God, and God was the logos.

·        With God: Not that Jesus was with God as one who was next or alongside Him, but as one that is with God because He lives in continual fellowship and communion with Him.

·         The word was God. More correctly, “God was the logos”.  Jesus, as God the Son, is first found in an eternal and continual communion with God the Father, so He can then come to mankind as the logos word, which translated and interpreted to us the conceptuality of the Father. 

John 1:2  The same was in the beginning with God.

·        This one was from all eternity is in constant communion and fellowship with God. (John repeats the theme of verse one to emphasize the complete sufficiency of Jesus to assume the role of  “God, the logos word” to humanity.

·        The word of God is comprised of the logos and the rhema word.  Both are absolutely essential in furnishing us with the fullness of God’s knowledge and will, both as individual believers and corporately in our churches.  The logos word defines God in general concepts and ideas to give us the “big picture” of who God is. 

q       The rhema word is a moment-to-moment portion of the logos word uttered by the voice of God’s Spirit and “tailored made” to equip us with God’s commands, guidance, and the fulfillment of our needs in accordance to our specific circumstances. 

        John 1:1  In the beginning was the LOGOS (word), and the LOGOS(word) was with God, and the LOGOS(word) was God. 

       Matthew 4:4  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every RHEMA that proceedeth( from moment to moment) out of the mouth of God.

 

The Believer as God’s Land

 

Luke 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:

Luke 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

·       Explain God’s need for a land

·        In the OT God desired to have a land, in this case Canaan from which His kingdom could operate. Joshua’s commission was to drive out the evil inhabitants of the land so that the land of Canaan could be cleared and the uncontested rule of God could take place.

1 John 5:19  And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

·        Today, God does not have a land from where His kingdom’s works can be launched.  The believer is His land.  In proportion to how free the believer is, defines the success of God’s kingdom.

 

The Great Purpose of the Church

 

          The church is the most important human institution in the whole universe. It is the institution that God has created to make Him visible.  This is the why God implemented it in the first place. He has none else.

1)The church’s most important job is to bring forth the glory of the Lord into all of the earth, and through out all eternity.

 

Ephesians 3:21  Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

 

2)Glory is defined as the end product of the invisible God becoming visible. The Lord accomplishes this through His Word, His attributes, and righteous deeds.

 

 

Isaiah 40:5  And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

 

3)The glory of God is of supreme importance.  Through it, men are ushered into eternal salvation, physical healings take place, people are set free from demonic oppression, spiritual gifts are displayed, and revival of cities and nations that ultimately change civilization are started and carried out.

 

Mark 6:56  ....and as many as touched him were made whole.

 

 4)     Civilization’s most essential requirement, and its most desperate need, is to be capable of beholding an invisible God, who desires to make Himself plainly evident, through Jesus Christ in His glory.

 

5)The key to all of humanity’s needs, past, present, and future, lie locked in the Person of Christ.  To the proportion that the invisible Christ becomes visible to mankind by His glory, is to the exact proportion that all of mankind’s needs will be met and answered forever.

 

6)  The church of Jesus Christ is GOD’S ONLY UNIVERSAL HUMAN INSTRUMENT, which can make Him visible.  Aside from His glory as seen in creation, God has made for Himself no other avenue that will allow Him to become visible in a real, personal and intimate way to people.

 

Apostles

 

v   Foundations

John 8:42  Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from( EK) God; neither came I of myself (exclusive and independent self), but he sent me.

q       Greek: The apostle, or the one on an apostolic mission, is birthed from God and lives continuously out of God just as a tree must live out of its roots. Neither was Jesus apostolic mission from independent and selfish self.

q       The apostle lives out of the image of God as a tree lives out of its root.

Galatians 6:15  For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth (ischuo) any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.

Romans 2:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed (METAMORPHOSIED) by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

·        Jesus never did or spoke anything, which originated from Himself. Everything He did, originated from the Father, and was revealed to Jesus through the Holy Spirit. 

·        Secondly, Jesus never did anything that was exclusively His ideas, agenda or timetable.  Everything, which he planned and carried out, was inclusive of what the Father desired.

·          Finally every action, which He took, and every word, which He spoke, was in dependency to the workings of the Holy Spirit within Him.  The Lord Jesus never acted independently from the Father.

Psalms 103:7  He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.

 

John 7:17  If any man will do his will( If any one out of His own will desires to do God’s will) he shall know of the doctrine( Instrumental: teaching), whether it be of God, or whether I speak of ( from the edge of; the idea of separation or departure from) myself.( exclusively and independently from myself as a source and from none other.)

·                Jesus never did or spoke anything, which originated from Himself. Everything He did, originated from the Father, and was revealed to Jesus through the Holy Spirit.  Secondly, Jesus never did anything that was exclusively His ideas, agenda or timetable.  Everything, which he planned and carried out, was inclusive of what the Father desired.  Finally every action, which He took, and every word, which He spoke, was in dependency to the workings of the Holy Spirit within Him.  The Lord Jesus never acted independently from the Father.

·             This was the key to the Lord’s supernatural faith and miracle working power. The fact that while on the earth, the Lord lived dependent, inclusive, and originated everything with the Father, shows us the depth of Jesus life in the world of the Holy Spirit.

·                This is what Jesus means when he tells us that He does nothing from Himself.

·                To the degree that we do not seek ourselves as the ones from whom anything originates, and then carry it out independently and exclusively from God, will automatically live in the teaching of the Father.

John 8;28  Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he ( I am) , and that I do nothing of myself (and that I do nothing independently and exclusively from the Father); but as my Father hath taught me( but as the Father has instrumentally penetrated, affected, and influenced me) I speak these things (these things I utter, express, and speak prophetically, by that divine influence which has permeated me.)

 

John 6:57  As the living Father hath sent me ( Greek: apostolic sending), and I live by (THROUGH) the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.

q       q       Greek:  The apostle or the one sent on an apostolic mission lives moment to moment through (INSTRUMENTALITY) the Father, who does the works. 

q       Through: Talks about instrumentality

 

1 Corinthians 4:9  For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.

Hath set forth  To expose to view; or to exhibit

Last in receiving honor, last in being recognized by men and by the body of Christ, last in being raised up by Christ, and smallest in importance and in the estimation of men. 

    Appointed to death: Greek: Upon the death       “Doomed to die”

A spectacle unto the world.

 

q       Briefly mention the fellowship of the mystery and the seal of the apostleship.

 

    2Cor 4:12  So then death worketh (ENERGIZED) (PRESENT MIDDLE INDICATIVE) in us, but life in you. 

·        The death of Christ is as an “energy dynamo” within us that never ceases but always works.  We are always being handed over to death, so that the very life of Christ can be like wised energized for the sakes of others.  Most of us put limits on how far “God can take us     

·        Death is actively energized and efficient in us.

·         It is always mighty in the apostolic workings.  This death is for the benefit of others

 

·        2 Cor1:9  But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: (Literally Paul asks, “Am I  going to save myself by earthly efforts?

·        My answer is NO!! I MUST DIE!!  ONLY IN CHRIST AND THROUGH CHRIST)

·    It is a judicial sentence of death. “An official resolution that stamps a matter as done.’

      ·        Whether on asking myself, should I die or whether I should come out of mortal peril, I answered, “I must die”.

·         It is a judicial sentence of death.

·        To trust in God who is raising the corpses.

 

I Cor1:1 ¶ Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, (INSTRUMENTAL)  and Sosthenes our brother,

q       An apostle is divinely summoned and divinely appointed ambassador belonging to Christ Jesus.  The formation of the apostolic office comes as the apostle learns to do everything through the will of God.

q       An apostle is the product and a vessel of God’s will, ways and timetable. 

q       The apostolic office is not a ministry, which one chooses for himself or is conferred upon by men.  It is a divine willed by the Lord.  He is divinely picked and divinely sent out and his life is result of the will of the Lord.

q       Hence the apostle can have a traveling ministry, and belongs to the body of Christ at large. He or she might not be called to be a member of one particular church but belongs to and embraces the whole body of Christ.

      

Gal 1:1 ¶ Paul, an apostle, (not (OUK) of men, neither by(INSTRUMENTAL)  man, but by(INSTRUMENTAL)  Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)

·        In absolutely no way from the calling, ordination or authorizing of men. No through their assistance, support, influence, or the open doors that man can provide.  Paul, an apostle not from men as a source. Not raised up by men but by Jesus Christ

v       Thusly the apostle is never intended to please man outside of God’s will, but to please God who chose and raised him up.  Not pleasing man, but a bond slave of God.

q       sent out and his life is result of the will of the Lord.

 

Eph 1:1 ¶ Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ (GENITIVE, BELONGING TO JESUS CHRIST) by(INSTRUMENTAL)  the will of God, to the saints, which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:

q       An apostle by the agency, influence, and the open doors willed by God.

 

 2Tim:1:1 ¶ Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by(INSTRUMENTAL)   the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,

v     With the promise of resurrection life goes the provision for its proclamation.

v    Hence the apostle in proclaiming Christ’s power and life must be an ambassador of the life of Jesus.  In other word he or she must live in the resurrection life of God, which comes forth from the death of Christ’s cross, which has touched everything in their lives.

v    With the apostolic proclamation of the resurrection life which is in Christ Jesus there it the promise and ability for us to live in this quality of life right now?  This is fellowship of the mystery.

v    The apostle can only proclaim the life of the resurrected Christ to us to the degree that he lives in it.   

 

Prophets

 

Ephesians 2:20  And are built upon the foundation (LID) of the apostles and prophets, (GENITIVE) Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

20  In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:

·    ONLY ONE ARTICLE THUS always categorizes apostles and prophets together.

 

Numbers 3:16  And Moses numbered them according (at) to the word (Heb: mouth)  of the LORD, as he was commanded. (Pual (passive of Piel) perfect.)

Numbers 3:39  All that were numbered of the Levites, which Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment (Heb: mouth)  of the LORD, throughout their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty and two thousand.

 

Numbers 22:35 And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak( Piel verb form ) unto thee, that thou shalt speak( Piel verb form). So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.

1.     The Piel verb form is used in what the Lord gives to the prophet, and likewise in what the prophet speaks out. The Piel verb form illustrates intensity and emphasis.  One Hebrew grammarian defines it as busying ourselves with a certain action. The prophet consumes him or herself with the spoken word of the Lord and is responsible to speak out that word with the same intensity of emphasis in which it was given to them.  We shall see more of this in our study.

2.            There must always be three dimensions to every prophecy.  First every prophecy must be given without in the accuracy of the rhema word that is discerned within one’s spirit. Our responsibility is to speak out as faithfully as we see it.  The Lord will then give us clarity in the situation.

3.            Secondly, is the dimension of discerning the intent of the Lord’s heart in the word given to us.

4.     Thirdly, the prophet must give the word with the same intensity or emphasis, which the Lord gave it to him or her.  Sometimes, the prophet is to give the word with great compassion and gentleness, other times there is the tone of admonishment or warning behind the voice of the Lord

 

Hos 12:10  And I have spoken( Hebrew: Piel verb) by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and I have used similitudes by the ministry of the prophets.

·       Here we find the same Hebrew  “piel” verb form describing intense and emphatic action.  As we said before, it means to busy or consume ourselves with a certain activity.”   Thus, this verse tells us that the spoken voice of God is best heard and understood through the prophetic ministry. 

1 Kings 6:19  And the oracle he prepared in the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of the LORD.

1 Kings 6:16  And he built twenty cubits on the sides of the house, both the floor and the walls with boards of cedar: he even built them for it within, even for the oracle, even for the most holy place.

 Acts 7:38  This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:

1 Peter 4:11  If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

q       The oracle of the Lord in the Old Testament was sometimes used to describe the Holy of Holies, or the most inner room of God’s temple where the Ark of the Covenant resided.  The Ark of the Covenant is symbolic of the very presence of the Lord, revealing His very essence, and thus testifying to or giving witness of the Lord upon the earth.  This is why it is also called the Ark of Testimony.

q          The word oracle in the Hebrew comes from the Hebrew root for “word;”.  The phrase “the word of the Lord” uses this very same grammatical formation.

q       In the New Testament an oracle is a concise and brief prophetic utterance.

q       Hence when the prophet speaks the “word of the Lord,” he or she are declaring forth the oracle, or the testimony of the Lord, and manifesting the presence of the Lord through the spoken word with as much accuracy as is found in God’s presence in the Holy of Holies.

 

Num 22:18  And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond ( pass over or cross over to the other side of; like crossing over a river ) the word ( Hebrew: the mouth) of the LORD my God, to do less or more.(to do the insignificant or what is great.)

19    And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do.

38    And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power(dunamis) at all(dunamis) to say (intensive) any thing? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak ( intensive verb).

q       Hebrew:  The only power that I have, is the power to speak the word of God.  The word that God puts in my mouth I must speak as accurately and as emphatically as when God gave it to me.

·       The Name or the rhema word is in the LID.

 

Mat 21:9  And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

Spiritual principle- As long as we come out of our own obedience (present middle participle) in the Name (or in strict accordance to the voice, and will, and the restrictions of the Lord) we remain in a state of being continuously blessed. (Perfect)

 

        Ephesians 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

        Ephesians 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the RHEMA WORD. 

·        The church will only be purified and made holy by the revelatory word of God.  The rhema is what washes the bride of Christ and heals and restores it.  Let me ask you a question.  If the flow of spiritual gifts is curtailed in our congregations, and the rhema is quenched, how will the church ever be washed and made holy?  Pretty serious stuff!

 

1Sam 10:6 And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy (Hebrew: reflexive verb; You will be able to prophesy by your own capabilities and actions once that the Spirit of God has come upon you) with them, and shalt be turned into another man.

q              Prophecy, which is received, can turn an individual or church into a different person or body if those individual or church welcomes it, believes it, and acts upon it.  Belief and obedience to a godly prophecy will bring God’s will and circumstances to bear upon that individual or church.  Their course of life will be radically altered and blessed by the Lord in accordance to the prophecy, making the church into a different church or the person into a different person.

 

Romans 16:25 ¶ Now to him that is of power to stablish you ( MAKE YOU FIRM ANS SET YOU IN PLACE) according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,

Romans 16:26  But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets ( THE PROPHETIC SCRIPTURES) according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:

·               Greek: The prophetic scriptures ( or by the same token, words of prophecy)reveal the Person of Christ who dwells within us in a mystery form.  Christ must be preached in this way.  The revelation of both His Person, and the gospel, is what establishes us in the faith.  The reason why Christ is revealed through prophetic preaching is to cause the nations to become saved and to obey Him.  This obedience is one, which is by faith.

·           God has the ability to strengthen you, and to make you firm and fast in your faith, (by my gospel and the preaching of the Person of Jesus Christ) only in proportion to the revelation of the mystery (which is the revealed Person of Christ.)

 

John 17:8  For I have given unto them the RHEMAS WORDS which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. 

·        This scripture supports the vital importance of spiritual gifts.  The revelatory words of God make manifest the Christ to the world. Christ today dwells in glory.  Glory is what makes the invisible Christ visible!  How we need the full manifestation of spiritual gifts in our churches for the full manifestation of Christ.  What a ploy of the enemy it is to shut them out, or to tell us that they are not needed today

 

Ezr 5:1  Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that  were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them.

Ezr 5:2  Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping them (supporting, sustaining, encouraging, and exhorting).

q       The building of the house of God must be always done in part through the ministry of the prophets.

Ezra 6:14  And the elders of the Jews builded(they were building), and they prospered(and succeeding)  through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.

q              Building and successfully completing the house of God can only be done in part through the ministry of the prophets.

 

The Anointings

 

 

 The Progressive Knowledge Anointing

 

John 15:15  Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard (AORIST) of my Father I have made known(PROGRESSIVE KNOWLEDGE; AORIST) unto you.

 

John 16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

·                he will guide Guide as a teacher; show the way and instruct